Donald Trump posts AI video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys; Democrats condemn post as racist

US President Donald Trump on Thursday posted an election conspiracy video that drew backlash for its portrayal of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, with Democrats condemning the imagery as offensive.The one-minute video, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform, repeats false allegations that Dominion Voting Systems helped steal the 2020 presidential election and briefly depicts the Obamas with their faces superimposed on monkeys, reported news agency AFP.By early Friday morning, the post had received more than 1,000 likes on Truth Social.The imagery drew swift backlash from Democratic leaders and former officials. The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, a prominent Trump critic and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, denounced the post.“Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X.Ben Rhodes, a former top national security advisor and close confidant to Barack Obama, also criticised the video.“Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history,” Rhodes wrote on X.Since beginning his second term in the White House, Trump has increased his use of hyper-realistic but fabricated images and videos on Truth Social and other platforms, often portraying himself positively while mocking or attacking critics.Last year, Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office and later shown behind bars in an orange jumpsuit. He later posted another AI clip showing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is Black, wearing a fake mustache and a sombrero.