Obama Condemns Racist Trump Video, Calls Social Media a ‘Clown Show’
Former US president Barack Obama criticised the tone of political discourse in the United States on Saturday, responding for the first time to a social media post by Donald Trump that depicted him and First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
In a podcast interview with commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama called the video, shared on Trump’s Truth Social on February 5, part of a broader erosion of civility in public life. The one-second clip appeared in a video promoting false claims about the 2020 election.
“The discourse has devolved into a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before…There’s this sort of clown show happening on social media and television,” Obama said. “There doesn’t seem to be any shame among people who once felt decorum and respect for the office was necessary.”
Without naming Trump, he added that most Americans “find this behaviour deeply troubling” and suggested it could hurt Trump’s Republicans in the midterms. “Ultimately, the answer is going to come from the American people,” he said.
Critique of Immigration Crackdown
Obama also condemned the Trump administration’s immigration operation in Minnesota, which included two fatal shootings. He compared the conduct of federal agents to practices seen in authoritarian regimes, calling it “deeply concerning and dangerous.”
He praised communities that responded through organised, peaceful protests: “That kind of heroic, sustained behaviour by ordinary people is what should give us hope. As long as we have folks doing that, we’re going to get through this.”
The raids, led in part by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sparked national outrage and protests. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, became a contentious issue, with Democrats opposing new allocations until reforms are implemented.
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