President Donald Trump sparked new controversy on Saturday after he reposted a message from far-right activist Laura Loomer calling former first lady Michelle Obama an “anti-white racist,” just days after the White House rushed to remove a racist video that portrayed the Obamas as primates.
On Feb. 21, 2026, Trump reshared Loomer’s Truth Social post, which made incendiary statements about Michelle and former President Barack Obama. The message alleged the Obamas were plotting “witch hunts against Trump” and labeled Michelle Obama an “anti-White racist,” while referring to the former president as “Barack Hussein Obama.”
The repost followed less than three weeks after Trump circulated a 62-second video that superimposed the Obamas’ faces onto primate bodies. The Feb. 5 post, which stayed online for nearly 12 hours, drew swift bipartisan outrage before the White House removed it and blamed a staff member for the upload.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the primate video, dismissing criticism as manufactured outrage and claiming it originated from an online meme depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle with Democrats reimagined as characters from The Lion King. The White House later reversed course and deleted the post.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after the removal, Trump said he had not viewed the entire video and declined to apologize. Asked whether he condemned the racist portion of the video, Trump replied, “Of course I do.”
The controversies emerged during Black History Month, creating a stark contrast with Trump’s presidential declaration recognizing the achievements and contributions of Black Americans.
Reactions to the original video transcended party lines. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who is white and represents the state with the highest percentage of Black residents, labeled the post “totally unacceptable.”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson issued a harsh statement: “Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable.”
Rev. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., responded by quoting her father: “Yes. I’m Black. I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful.” She continued that Black Americans “are beloved of God as postal workers and professors, as a former first lady and president. We are not apes.”
Former President Obama addressed the controversy publicly for the first time during a podcast conversation with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen aired on Saturday, Feb. 15. Obama was questioned about the “de-evolution of the discourse” coming from the Trump administration, with particular reference to the racist video.
The Saturday repost also included Trump’s demand that Netflix dismiss board member Susan Rice. “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences,” Trump wrote. “She’s got no talent or skills – purely a political hack!” Netflix declined to comment specifically, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos rebuffed the criticism when questioned by the BBC, saying, “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal.”
Rice, who previously served as national security adviser and U.N. ambassador under Obama, first joined Netflix’s board in 2018, left during the Biden administration, and returned in 2023. Netflix also maintains ties to the Obamas through its overall agreement with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions to create films and series for the platform.
Loomer’s original post claimed that, if the pending Netflix–Warner Bros. merger is approved, “positive messaging of the Democrats’ upcoming witch hunts against Trump” would be “blasted across all streaming services as the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions continues to grow within Netflix.”
The uproar comes as Trump confronts rising criticism over several policy moves. The incidents have heightened questions about who manages the president’s social media account, a platform he frequently uses to issue policy announcements, impose import taxes, and communicate directly with the public.
With the State of the Union address approaching, the recurring racial controversies have dominated media coverage and drawn strong condemnation from civil rights groups and lawmakers across the political spectrum, who argue such rhetoric is inappropriate for the White House.