Donald Trump has weathered countless controversies over the course of his political career, but something about the latest one felt different. It landed as both a final straw and a rare moment of near-universal agreement: he had gone too far. Still, for some members of his administration, even this was somehow defensible.
Trump shared a disgraceful AI-generated video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. Almost immediately, the reaction was swift and unequivocal. Across race, ideology, and party lines, people agreed it was racist and indefensible. Online, some pointed to the post as proof that Trump hasn’t changed since his 1973 clash with the Department of Justice, when he was accused of using discriminatory practices to keep his New York apartment buildings majority white.
The White House, however, dismissed the outrage outright. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement to Deadline insisting the backlash was overblown. “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King,” she said. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
As usual, that defense unraveled almost immediately. Trump deleted the post shortly after and White House blamed it on an unnamed staffer, making Leavitt’s explanation look flimsy at best. Then trusted confidant Laura Loomer entered the fray, taking to X to clarify how Trump’s social media actually works. “His staff posts for him,” she wrote. “He dictates the text on the long posts, and then they type it. For the memes and photos, those are posted by staff. I have spent enough time with President Trump to know he doesn’t type the posts himself.”
President Trump doesn’t post on his own social media accounts.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 6, 2026
His staff posts for him. He dictates the text on the long posts, and then they type it. For the memes and photos, those are posted by staff. I have spent enough time with President Trump to know he doesn’t type the…
But Trump being, well, Trump didn’t waste a second to pour water over all these valiant efforts to present him as the innocent party in the whole story. When he was asked directly about the video and whether the White House would fire the alleged staffer who apparently posted the video, he said, “No. I looked at it. I didn’t see the whole thing. I gave it to the people, they posted it.”
Maybe White House should give him an instruction class everytime they lie through their teeth to protect him, only for him to rain on their parade.
Anyway, when pressed on whether he would apologize, his answer was blunt: “No, I didn’t make a mistake. It was a takeoff of The Lion King.”
In the comments, one user cut straight to the point: Trump is incapable of apologizing. “He didn’t even apologize for the ‘grab ’em by the’ tape,” they wrote. “It was ‘locker room talk.’ It was our fault for misconstruing his disgusting words.” And history supports that view. Trump has survived — and shrugged off — nearly every scandal of his public life. Few doubt that his base will ignore this too, just as they recently brushed past renewed scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
He’s literally incapable of apologizing for anything….ever. He didn’t even apologize for the “grab’em by the 🙀” tape. It was “locker room talk.” It was OUR FAULT for misconstruing his disgusting words. pic.twitter.com/mnfxQzbNLB
— Kim (@Kimmer4444) February 7, 2026
What this episode does expose, however, is the exhaustion of excuses — especially within his administration. It’s not that they were ever remorseful about Trump’s behavior. It’s that, until now, a segment of the public was willing to accept their explanations for it. That benefit of the doubt is rapidly evaporating.
As of now, the Obamas have not responded to the supposedly humorous AI meme. Michelle Obama recently reiterated on her podcast that she still believes in going high when they go low. That contrast only sharpens the moment. When the Trump administration sinks, it does so without irony or hesitation. And as midterm campaigns loom, this episode may linger longer than they expect — not as a punchline, but as a warning.
Published: Feb 7, 2026 08:02 am