U.S. President Donald Trump has deleted an artificial intelligence–generated video he posted on social media after it triggered widespread criticism for containing racially offensive imagery, according to international media reports.
The one-minute video, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account on Friday, was removed about 12 hours later following strong public backlash.
Controversial Imagery Sparks Criticism
The AI-generated clip portrayed Trump as a lion while depicting Democrats as subordinate characters. In its final sequence, former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama were shown in a monkey-like form, a scene that drew sharp condemnation.
International news agency Reuters reported that the video was taken down after critics accused Trump of promoting racist stereotypes. Commentators and civil rights advocates noted that in U.S. history, white leaders have often dehumanized people of African descent by portraying them as monkeys or apes, accusing Trump of perpetuating similar imagery.
Several Republican lawmakers also urged Trump to remove the video and issue an apology. According to reports, some contacted the White House directly to express concern. Civil rights organizations condemned the video in strong terms. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the video was “openly racist and hateful.”
White House Response and Political Reaction
Trump said the video had been posted by staff and stated that he condemned it. A White House official said the video was uploaded due to an employee’s error and was removed immediately, declining to identify the staff member involved.
Officials said only a limited number of senior aides have direct access to Trump’s social media accounts. Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had dismissed criticism as “fake outrage” and defended the post.
Trump said he had viewed only the beginning of the video and did not see the final scene. “I watched only the first part of the video and did not see the ending,” Trump said, adding that he allowed aides to post it after viewing a segment related to claims of election machine fraud.
Representatives for Obama have not commented on the matter. Trump ally and Republican Senator Tim Scott wrote on X that he hoped the video was not authentic, saying that if it originated from the White House, it would be “the most racially divisive thing” to come from there.
