President Donald Trump sparked widespread condemnation on Friday after posting a video on his Truth Social account that included a brief but offensive clip showing former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama depicted as apes; a deeply racist caricature with a long history of dehumanizing Black people.

The video, just over a minute long, appeared late Thursday and primarily promoted debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Toward the end, two seconds of footage showed the Obamas’ faces superimposed on primate bodies against a jungle backdrop, accompanied by the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight," according to CBS News.

Reactions were swift and intense. Democratic leaders and activists denounced the post as overtly racist. California Governor Gavin Newsom described the imagery as “disgusting behavior” and called on Republicans to repudiate it. Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina also criticized the video, calling it “the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.”

In a statement to The Independent, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the post.

"This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Leavitt said. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."

The Obamas have not yet issued a public response to the video. Meanwhile, the post remains live on Truth Social as of Friday morning, adding to the ongoing debate over race, rhetoric, and leadership in American politics.