TRENTON, N.J. – Acting New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport condemned a video posted by former President Donald Trump on Truth Social that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys—a post widely denounced as racist and inflammatory.
“I am completely horrified by the racist video President Trump posted on social media,” Davenport wrote Friday morning on X. “This kind of hate has no place in our discourse, and we must all stand together in rejecting it.”
The minute-long video, which also featured conspiracy claims about the 2020 election, cut to an animation showing the Obamas portrayed as monkeys dancing to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The clip, echoing centuries-old racist depictions of Black people, was quickly met with backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) called for the video’s removal, posting, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
Within hours, the video was deleted from Trump’s Truth Social account.
The video, confirmed independently by Shore News Network was later removed.
The White House, in response, said, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
The video’s appearance sparked swift bipartisan condemnation, with lawmakers and civil rights groups labeling it an example of racially motivated hate speech circulating on political platforms. Davenport’s statement marked one of the strongest rebukes from a state law enforcement leader, underscoring growing calls for accountability over the use of racist imagery in political discourse.
Key details:
- Trump deleted a video showing the Obamas depicted as monkeys after backlash
- Acting N.J. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport called the post “horrifying”
- Bipartisan outrage followed, with Sen. Tim Scott calling for its removal
Depictions of Black individuals as apes or monkeys have long been used to dehumanize and demean African Americans, a racist trope with deep historical roots that civil rights advocates continue to denounce.
