President Donald Trump on Friday removed a controversial video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes following bipartisan backlash.<\/b>
\nThe White House said a video \u00ab\u00a0erroneously\u00a0\u00bb posted to President Donald Trump’s social media account on Friday that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle has been taken down.
The video focused on voting fraud claims from the 2020 presidential election. In the final moments, the Obamas\u2019 heads are seen superimposed on primates\u2019 bodies as \u00ab\u00a0The Lion Sleeps Tonight\u00a0\u00bb plays in the background.
Other elected officials were also portrayed superimposed over the bodies of various animals. The White House told Fox News Digital that a staffer had \u00ab\u00a0erroneously\u00a0\u00bb posted the video before it was taken down.
Democrats immediately criticized the video as racist. Some Republicans also spoke out against it.
\u00ab\u00a0Praying it was fake because it\u2019s the most racist thing I\u2019ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it\u00a0\u00bb, said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the video \u00ab\u00a0wrong\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0incredibly offensive.\u00a0\u00bb
He said \u00ab\u00a0whether intentional or a mistake\u00a0\u00bb, the video \u00ab\u00a0should be deleted immediately with an apology offered.\u00a0\u00bb
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump critic, urged Republicans to condemn Trump over the video, calling his behavior \u00ab\u00a0disgusting.\u00a0\u00bb
Last year, Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting Obama sitting in the Oval Office before being arrested by agents as the song \u00ab\u00a0YMCA\u00a0\u00bb plays.
An AI-generated version of Trump grins as Obama is apprehended and eventually thrown in a jail cell. The AI-generated Obama is also seen wearing an orange jumpsuit behind bars.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Barack and Michelle Obama’s office for comment.<\/p>\n