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Barack Obama Blasts “Clown Show” After Trump Posts Racist Video Depicting Obamas as Apes

HeadlineFeb 16, 2026

Former President Barack Obama has responded publicly to a racist video shared on social media by President Trump, which depicts the Obamas as apes. In a podcast hosted by Brian Tyler Cohen and published on Saturday, Barack Obama refused to directly address the video, but said many people “find this behavior deeply troubling.”

Barack Obama: “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.”

Although the White House took down the video after about 12 hours, President Trump refused to apologize for sharing it. The Senate’s only Black Republican, Tim Scott, said, “It’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”

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