Former U.S. President Barack Obama has responded after President Donald Trump shared, and later deleted, an AI-generated video on Truth Social that depicted Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Speaking during an interview with Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama addressed the video, which included racist caricatures and referenced false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
“First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that a majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” Obama said. “It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction. But, as I’m traveling around the country… you meet people, they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness.”
The now-deleted clip, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account, reportedly incorporated characters inspired by The Lion King and featured the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. White House officials stated that the post was not authorised and was removed once it was brought to their attention.
Obama also criticised what he described as the tone of political discourse in the social media era, saying there appears to be a loss of decorum and respect for public office.
“There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office.”
The former president reiterated his belief that, despite the noise online, many Americans still value civility and responsible leadership.
