Obama says ‘respect for the office’ lost after Trump shares racist ape video
Former President Barack Obama criticized the viral video that Donald Trump shared on Truth social, which depicted him and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, calling the broader reaction a “clown show” on social media and television and saying it reveals a troubling decline in civility. He argued that many Americans still value decency and decorum, but those norms are being eroded by the current online culture. Obama suggested that Democrats have sometimes appeared as “scolds” or engaged in virtue signaling, and urged a message that acknowledges imperfection and creates a welcoming habitat too win support. He contrasted this with Republicans,which he described as practicing mean,angry,exclusive,us-vs-them politics,while Democrats should strive to come together,citing Bad Bunny’s inclusive Super Bowl performance as an example of what a community can look like. The remarks also touched on how the video and surrounding controversy could affect the party ahead of elections, with Obama pointing to the idea of a “beloved community”—where people of different generations and backgrounds feel they belong. Trump rejected apologizing for the post, saying he didn’t watch the full video but acknowledged it depicted something people dislike, while also noting that he had previously removed another election-related video amid controversy.
Obama says ‘respect for the office’ lost after Trump shares racist ape video
Former President Barack Obama said a “clown show” is happening on social media and television in response to a viral video President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social.
Trump took down an election conspiracy video from his social media earlier this month after it generated mass controversy, as it included a racist stereotype, portraying Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The former president reacted to the video by saying most people in the United States find Trump’s behavior “deeply troubling” and called it 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, and there’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” Obama said on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast. “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.”
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Obama also said the Democratic Party did come off as “scolds” to voters on certain issues, describing this as “virtue-signaling” that pushes voters away. He added that in order to create a welcoming environment, the party’s message needs to be “none of us are perfect,” something he said the party needs to recover.
In comparison, the former president said the Republican Party conducts “the mean, angry, exclusive, us/them, divisive politics,” whereas Democrats are “coming together.” He cited the recent Super Bowl halftime performance by Bad Bunny, who gave a “smart” performance by demonstrating “what a community is.”
“And people who did not speak Spanish and have never been to Puerto Rico, they saw that elderly woman serving a drink and the kids dancing with their grandmas, and it was intergenerational,” Obama said. “And it was a reminder of what Dr. King called ‘the beloved community’ can look like, which is not perfect, and it’s messy sometimes, and I guarantee you, not all of those lyrics were probably politically correct, and if you translated them. You know, people are complicated, but there was a sense of, ‘All right, there’s room for everybody here,’ and that, I think, is where we win.”
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Washington Examiner Executive Editor Bob Cusack said last week the Republican Party is off to “a very bad start” ahead of the 2026 elections, where the party is vying to keep its razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives. He predicted the controversy from Trump’s video won’t go away before November, as people will want to know the identity of the staffer who posted the video.
Trump said on Feb. 6 that he did not watch the full video but declined to apologize for sharing it on his Truth Social account. However, he admitted the depiction of the Obamas was “some kind of a picture that people don’t like,” and he “wouldn’t like it either.”
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