The White House removes Trump's offensive video about Obama and his wife
In an incident that sparked widespread political and media controversy, the White House on Friday the removal of a video that had been "accidentally" posted to President Donald Trump's Truth Social account. The deleted video contained racist and offensive content depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as monkeys, prompting swift action from officials to rectify the situation.
Details of the incident and explanation from officials
A White House official told AFP that the video's posting was unintentional, the result of a staff member's error, and confirmed that it was deleted immediately. The one-minute video not only personally insulted Obama but also promoted election conspiracy theories, alleging that Dominion Voting Systems was involved in rigging the 2020 election in favor of Democrat Joe Biden.
For its part, the Trump campaign tried to downplay the incident, with Trump spokeswoman Caroline Levitt describing the angry reactions as "manufactured outrage," suggesting that the criticism directed at the president was exaggerated and politically motivated.
Historical context: The roots of racial conflict and tension
This incident cannot be separated from the long history of tension between Donald Trump and Barack Obama. For years, Trump was a leading voice in the "birtherism" movement, which promoted false claims questioning Obama's birthplace and his eligibility for the presidency. This history makes any offensive content emanating from Trump's platforms toward the first African-American president subject to intense scrutiny.
Furthermore, depicting Black people as "monkeys" carries deep and painful racist connotations rooted in centuries of racial segregation and dehumanization of African Americans in American history. Therefore, the appearance of such images on the US president's social media account is a breach of diplomatic and political norms and raises concerns among human rights organizations about the escalation of hate speech.
Political dimensions and impact of the incident
This incident further deepens the already sharp political polarization in the United States. On one hand, Trump and his supporters continue to question the integrity of electoral institutions by reviving the Dominion case, even though Fox News paid a massive $787.5 million settlement to avoid prosecution for defamation of the same company over similar allegations.
On the other hand, Democrats seized on the incident to condemn Trump's approach, with California Governor Gavin Newsom leading the criticism. Newsom is a prominent Democratic figure and a potential 2028 presidential candidate, making his clash with Trump part of the early political battle to shape America's political future. This type of exchange reflects how social media platforms have become a major arena for political conflict, and how a technical or human "error" can escalate into a political crisis that dominates global headlines.
