US President Donald Trump raised controversy over a video containing an AI-generated clip of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes that he shared on Friday afternoon.
The clip was embedded in a minute-long video posted on Truth Social that contested the results of the 2020 election.
The video cites a self-proclaimed cybersecurity expert who disassembles a machine used to count votes and claims they stopped counting to give former president Joe Biden an advantage.
Seconds before the video ends, the AI-generated clip begins: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays in the background, and apes with AI-generated Obama faces dance in the frame.
The Obamas have not yet publicly addressed the president’s post.
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Trump’s behavior through his press office account on social media, writing, “Disgusting behaviour by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
White House dismisses claims, later retracts
The White House initially dismissed claims that the video was racist, arguing that the clip came from a longer meme depicting Trump and Democratic politicians as characters from The Lion King.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the meme depicts Trump as King of the Jungle and Democrats as other characters from the movie. The longer video also shows former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris depicted as zebras.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public," she said.
The White House shifted the blame later on Friday when a US official claimed that a staffer had accidentally posted it, assuring that the video had been taken down.