President Shares AI Video on Truth Social Amid Democratic Backlash
President Donald Trump shared an election conspiracy video on his Truth Social platform Thursday that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed on monkey bodies, drawing immediate condemnation from Democratic leaders and prominent figures.
The one-minute video repeated debunked allegations that Dominion Voting Systems manipulated the 2020 presidential election results. The imagery, which featured the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in the background, appeared near the end of the clip and lasted approximately one second.
Swift Political Backlash
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, called the post “disgusting behavior by the President” and urged Republicans to denounce it immediately. Ben Rhodes, former national security advisor and close confidant to Obama, responded on social media, writing that “future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history.”
The video had received thousands of likes on Trump’s Truth Social account by early Friday morning, underscoring the platform’s role in amplifying the president’s messaging directly to supporters.
Pattern of AI-Generated Political Content
The Trump obama post represents part of a broader strategy during his second term. Since taking office, Trump has increasingly used AI-generated imagery and videos on Truth Social and other platforms to attack critics and bolster his political narrative. Last year, a Trump obama photo showed the former president in an orange prison jumpsuit behind bars in the Oval Office. Another AI video depicted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is Black, wearing a fake mustache and sombrero.
Timing and Historical Context
The video’s release during Black History Month amplified criticism, as comparing Black individuals to monkeys represents a historical racist trope used to dehumanize African Americans. The imagery comes as Trump continues to contest the 2020 election results despite losing dozens of legal challenges and bipartisan election certifications.
The Donald Trump Truth Social platform has become a central vehicle for the president’s unfiltered communications, allowing him to bypass traditional media while reaching millions of followers directly.
