Donald Trump posts AI video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys; Democrats condemn publish as racist

US President Donald Trump on Thursday posted an election conspiracy video that drew backlash for its portrayal of former President Barack Obama and former first woman Michelle Obama, with Democrats condemning the imagery as offensive.The one-minute video, shared on Trump’s Reality Social platform, repeats false allegations that Dominion Voting Methods helped steal the 2020 presidential election and briefly depicts the Obamas with their faces superimposed on monkeys, reported information company AFP.By early Friday morning, the publish had acquired greater than 1,000 likes on Reality Social.The imagery drew swift backlash from Democratic leaders and former officers. The workplace of California Governor Gavin Newsom, a distinguished Trump critic and a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, denounced the publish.“Disgusting conduct by the President. Each single Republican should denounce this. Now,” Newsom’s press workplace wrote on X.Ben Rhodes, a former high nationwide safety advisor and shut confidant to Barack Obama, additionally criticised the video.“Let it hang-out Trump and his racist followers that future Individuals will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures whereas finding out him as a stain on our historical past,” Rhodes wrote on X.Since starting his second time period within the White Home, Trump has elevated his use of hyper-realistic however fabricated photographs and movies on Reality Social and different platforms, typically portraying himself positively whereas mocking or attacking critics.Final yr, Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting Barack Obama being arrested within the Oval Workplace and later proven behind bars in an orange jumpsuit. He later posted one other AI clip exhibiting Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, who’s Black, sporting a faux mustache and a sombrero.