By Obinna Uballa
An AI-generated cartoon video that had circulated online since October resurfaced this week at the center of a political storm after United States President Donald Trump reposted a clipped version of it to his social media account.
The original meme-style video, first shared months ago by an X user, was styled after Disney’s The Lion King. It portrayed Trump as a lion – the “king of the jungle” – while several prominent Democrats were depicted as African animals as the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens played in the background.
In the full version of the cartoon, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama appeared at the very beginning with their faces superimposed on cartoon apes, while other Democratic figures were depicted as animals such as a warthog, elephant and other jungle characters. Hillary Clinton, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other Democrats were also included in the parody.
The video had largely gone unnoticed outside fringe meme circles until Trump reposted a shortened version of it late Thursday night. That repost, which focused primarily on false claims about election fraud in 2020 before ending with the ape depiction of the Obamas, quickly ignited widespread outrage across the political spectrum.
By Friday morning, criticism poured in from Democrats and Republicans alike, many describing the imagery as racist and deeply offensive, especially as it came during Black History Month.
Trump removed the video before noon on Friday but said he would not apologize for posting it.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Friday night, the president said he had only watched the first portion of the video, which he said was about voting machines and election fraud claims.
“I didn’t see the rest of it,” Trump said. “I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine. Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they’d look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t, and they posted.”
He added: “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”
A White House official told NBC News that a staffer had “erroneously” made the post and that it was taken down once the issue was discovered. Trump did not say who posted it or whether that staffer would face consequences.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the video earlier Friday, describing it as a “Lion King” meme portraying Trump as the king of the jungle. Her response drew further backlash, with critics saying it downplayed the racist context of the Obamas’ depiction.
Leavitt later said the controversy was a distraction and emphasized that the post had been removed.
The reaction from lawmakers was swift and unusually bipartisan.
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, condemned the video on X, calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urging Trump to remove it. Scott later spoke with the president by phone, though Trump said he did not apologize during the conversation.
Other Republicans, including Senators Pete Ricketts, John Curtis and Representatives Mike Lawler, Mike Turner and Brian Fitzpatrick, also criticized the post and called for an apology.
Democratic leaders were more forceful. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the post as “racist, vile and abhorrent,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Trump “a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”
The controversy also drew reactions beyond Washington. South Carolina pastor and longtime Trump ally Mark Burns said he spoke with the president and recommended that the staffer responsible be fired.
The incident renewed scrutiny of Trump’s frequent sharing of AI-generated and manipulated videos attacking political opponents. In recent months, he has reposted other altered clips, including one showing Jeffries in a cartoon sombrero alongside Schumer.
During a recent interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas, Trump acknowledged that he does not believe all the election conspiracy content he reposts on social media.
“I sometimes will retruth those claims,” Trump said.
The resurfacing of the meme video also came amid Trump’s renewed push against diversity, equity and inclusion policies and his continued repetition of false claims that he won the 2020 election.
