Barack Obama addressed the controversy surrounding an AI-generated video shared by Donald Trump that depicted him and Michelle Obama as monkeys.
The video, posted on President Trump’s Truth social account in February, sparked outrage online after viewers noticed a racist image at the end of a long video that made baseless claims about voter fraud.
President Trump previously defended the upload, saying the video was primarily about “voter fraud” and was a “powerful piece of work,” but White House press secretary Caroline Levitt dismissed the criticism as a “false outrage.”
The post comes after years of rivalry between Trump and Obama, with the current US president previously sharing a fake video of his predecessor’s arrest.
Now, in a wide-ranging interview with The New Yorker, President Obama responds to the video by saying that while he doesn’t take the attacks on himself personally, his family is a different matter entirely.
AI video criticized for using racist imagery (X/Truth Social)
“I don’t take this personally,” Obama told the magazine, adding, “I mean, I always get upset when my wife and kids get dragged into things, because it’s not their choice. … That’s a word that I hope even people who deeply reject politics will care about. I would never talk about someone’s family that way.”
The AI clip in question showed the faces of a former president and first lady superimposed on a monkey’s body, while a song by The Tokens was shown. the lion sleeps tonight (Widely known for his performance in) lion king) will play in the background.
It was widely condemned at the time, with California Governor Gavin Newsom writing on X (formerly Twitter): “All Republicans must condemn this. Now.”
Ben Rhodes, Obama’s former national security adviser, also slammed the post, saying, “Don’t let it bother President Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying them as a stain on history.”
Despite the backlash, President Trump refused to explicitly apologize for the nature of the video.
“You know, it was a video about voter fraud,” he said at an Oval Office press conference in February.
“It’s doing really well and it’s been airing all over the place, long before it was posted. That was a very powerful story about voter fraud, and I think you all saw it.”
Trump previously defended the upload despite widespread criticism online (Matt Cardy/Contributor/Getty Images)
“I think the piece you’re talking about has been here and there many times over the years.”
Leavitt also defended the video at the time, telling Tyra: “This is from an internet meme video that depicts President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.
“Stop the false outrage and report today on the things that actually matter to the American people.”
In an interview with The New Yorker, President Obama also said he was more concerned about an AI-generated video posted by President Trump that showed him treating war “like a video game” and “dumping human waste on civilians.”
He added: “So I’m a fair target in the sense that you can feel free to make fun of me because I’m your size.”
