Former US President Barack Obama has spoken out on the state of political discourse in the United States, responding indirectly to a racist video shared on President Donald Trump's social media that depicted him and his wife Michelle as apes.
In a conversation with liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama said the public’s sense of shame and decorum in leadership has eroded, raising concerns about the tone of national dialogue.
The controversial clip, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account, was set to The Lion Sleeps Tonight and appended to a video promoting unproven claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The video prompted widespread backlash from both Democrats and Republicans. Initially defended as generating “fake outrage,” the post was removed and attributed to a staff error.
During the interview, Cohen asked Obama about the current climate of US political discussion, referencing the video among other recent controversies. Obama reflected, "It's important to recognise that the majority of the American people find this behaviour deeply troubling. It is true that it gets attention. It's true that it's a distraction."
Obama did not name Trump directly but criticised the broader culture surrounding public officials.
He said, “There's this sort of clown show that's happening in social media and on television. And what is true is that 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, right? That's been lost.”
The post sparked outrage across the political spectrum. Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator, described it as “the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.”
The video drew on racist stereotypes historically used to demean Black people and appears to have been sourced from a conservative meme creator named Xerias in October.
Trump, when asked about the video by reporters, said he “didn't see” the offensive portion and refused to apologise, stating, "I didn't make a mistake."
In addition to addressing the controversy, Obama spoke on a range of topics in the 47-minute podcast. He praised peaceful protests against immigration enforcement, discussed electoral redistricting, and shared updates on his upcoming presidential library in Chicago. He also observed that despite the toxic online environment, many Americans continue to value decency, courtesy, and kindness.
