Barack Obama has responded to an AI video that Donald Trump shared on Truth Social depicting Obama and his wife Michelle Obama as apes.
During a Saturday interview with Brian Tyler Cohen, the host noted that “the discourse” surrounding the current administration has “devolved into a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before,” citing the viral video, that was posted on Feb. 5 and subsequently deleted on Feb. 6.
“First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that a majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” Obama started. “It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction. But, as I’m traveling around the country, as you’re traveling around the country, you meet people, they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness.”
The since-deleted video posted on Trump’s Truth Social account touched on false election fraud claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election, ending with an animation of the Obamas as apes. The clip featured characters from The Lion King who dance to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” however there are no apes featured in the Disney story.
On background last Friday, a White House official told The Hollywood Reporter, “A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down.”
The former president went on to address the Trump administration’s unique social media strategy, which has came under fire in the past. He added, “There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television. And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office, right? So that’s been lost.”
While the AI video was taken down from Trump’s official social media page, it sparked widespread backlash. California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed the post as “Disgusting behavior by the president,” while South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott wrote online, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
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