On February 5-6, President Trump's Truth Social account posted a video about alleged 2020 election fraud that included a brief clip at the end showing Barack and Michelle Obama's faces superimposed on apes' bodies, set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." The post drew bipartisan condemnation, including from Republican Senator Tim Scott, who called it "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended it as depicting Trump as "King of the Jungle" and called criticism "fake outrage." The post was later deleted, with the White House blaming "a staffer" who "erroneously made the post." Trump told reporters he "didn't see" that part of the video and refused to apologize, saying "I didn't make a mistake."
In a podcast interview published February 14, Obama responded to questions about political discourse without naming Trump. He said "the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling" and described what's happening on social media as a "clown show." Obama said there "doesn't seem to be any shame" 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." He emphasized that while such content gets attention and serves as distraction, most Americans "still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness."
