Former President Barack Obama recently opened up about the ugly side of today’s political discourse after President Donald Trump shared—and then deleted—a deeply offensive video on Truth Social. The clip, which surfaced earlier this month on February 5, showed Barack and Michelle Obama’s faces superimposed onto animated apes dancing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” It was tacked onto the end of a longer post pushing false claims about 2020 voter fraud, and it quickly sparked widespread outrage from both sides of the aisle.
Trump, now 79, stood by it without apologizing. He blamed an unnamed staffer, saying he only glanced at the start and thought it was fine as some kind of Lion King reference. The White House press secretary brushed off the criticism as “fake outrage,” urging people to focus on issues that matter to everyday Americans.
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But the backlash was real—even some Republicans spoke out. Senator Tim Scott called it one of the most racist things to come out of this White House.
Obama addressed it during a candid interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, released on February 14. He didn’t name Trump directly, but his words hit hard.
He described the behavior as “deeply troubling” and said most Americans feel the same way.
“As I’m traveling around the country, you meet people and they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness,” Obama said. “And there’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television.” He went on to lament how standards have slipped.
“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,” he added. “That’s been lost.”
The conversation didn’t stop at the video. Obama also voiced serious concerns about recent ICE operations, particularly the heavy-handed federal crackdown in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. He described agents being sent in without proper guidelines or training, pulling people from their homes, even using young kids to lure parents out, and teargassing peaceful crowds who weren’t breaking any laws.
He tied it to bigger worries about the country’s direction, pointing to heartbreaking incidents like the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis—a tragedy he called a wake-up call for everyone, no matter their party. He mentioned another case involving Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman shot by an immigration agent, and said the administration’s explanations don’t hold up under real scrutiny.
In the end, Obama stressed hope in the American people. He believes they’ll make their voices heard at the ballot box, standing up for core values like truth and basic human decency.
“We’re going to fight back and we’re gonna push back with the truth,” he said.
The whole episode feels like a stark reminder of how low things can sink in public life these days, but also how many still hold onto the idea that we can do better.
