Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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POLITICS

The Claim

Donald Trump posted a video that has been described by some as racist.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

This claim is accurate. In early February 2026, a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes was posted to Donald Trump's Truth Social account. It was widely and explicitly described as racist by multiple major news outlets, lawmakers from both parties, and notably Republican Senator Tim Scott. The claim's careful phrasing — "posted a video" and "described by some as racist" — is fully supported and, if anything, understates the breadth of condemnation. Trump later deleted the video but never formally apologized.

Caveats

  • Trump denied personally seeing or uploading the offensive portion, with the White House attributing the post to an unnamed staffer — though the video appeared on his verified account.
  • The phrase 'described by some as racist' significantly understates the reaction: condemnation was widespread and bipartisan, not a fringe minority view.
  • The video was eventually deleted from Trump's account, though Trump never formally apologized and later said no staffer had been disciplined.

The Receipts

  1. Trump shares video that includes racist depiction of the Obamas, sparking backlash

    ABC News

  2. Tulsi Gabbard reportedly accused by whistleblower of suppressing intercepted call about Jared Kushner and Iran – as it happened | Trump administration | The Guardian

    The Guardian

  3. Trump doubles down on racist video, saying no staffer has been disciplined

    The Guardian

  4. Trump posted something blatantly racist? What a surprise | Arwa Mahdawi | The Guardian

    The Guardian

  5. Donald Trump's rare backdown on racist Obama post shows even the 'Teflon president' has limits - RNZ

    RNZ

  6. President Trump deletes 'racist' video after backlash from politicians on both sides of the aisle - YouTube

    KHOU 11 (YouTube)

  7. Trump Time: A.I. generated social media post accused of being racist | FOX 26 Houston

    FOX 26 Houston

  8. Donald Trump won't apologize for racist video against Obama

    The Jerusalem Post

  9. Trump's vitriolic social media posts become key factor in legal cases - The Guardian

    The Guardian

  10. WATCH: Trump again defends racist video, says no one has been disciplined for posting it

    YouTube

+ 5 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Donald Trump

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