President Donald Trump has confirmed that no staffer has been fired or disciplined over a controversial video posted to his social media account that included a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama…

In response to a reporter’s question—”Have you fired the staffer that posted the video from your account that included the Obamas?”—Trump replied: “No I haven’t. That was a video on, as you know, voter fraud. And a fairly long video that had a little piece that had to do with the Lion King.”

The exchange occurred during an interaction with the press, amid ongoing fallout from the now-deleted post on Trump’s Truth Social platform.
The video in question, shared late one Thursday night in early February 2026, primarily promoted long-standing and debunked claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, focusing on alleged issues with voting machines. Near the end of the approximately one-minute clip, it abruptly transitioned to a brief animation—apparently AI-generated or meme-based—depicting Barack and Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed onto the bodies of apes (primates), set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” This imagery drew swift bipartisan condemnation for invoking a historical racist trope that dehumanizes Black people.
Following the backlash, which included criticism from some Republican figures such as Senator Tim Scott, the White House initially attributed the post to an unnamed staffer who had “erroneously” uploaded it. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the content as originating from an “internet meme video” that portrayed Trump as the “King of the Jungle” (a lion) and various Democrats as characters inspired by Disney’s The Lion King. The post was removed after remaining online for several hours.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the offensive segment, insisting he only reviewed the opening portion related to voter fraud claims before approving or directing it to be shared. He has described the overall video as a “very strong piece on voter fraud” and suggested the controversial clip was a minor, familiar element that had circulated online for years. In earlier comments, he stated he “didn’t see the whole thing” and maintained he “didn’t make a mistake,” declining to offer an apology.
Critics have pointed out the inconsistency in Trump’s defense, noting that The Lion King features no apes (the film centers on lions and other African savanna animals), and the depiction of the Obamas specifically as primates stands out as unrelated to any broader meme framing. The incident has reignited debates over accountability in the administration’s social media practices and the persistence of election-related conspiracy narratives.
As of February 13, 2026, no further personnel actions have been announced regarding the post, and Trump has stood by his position that the core message on voter integrity outweighed the objectionable content. The episode continues to fuel discussions about race, responsibility, and the role of social media in presidential communications.