Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday criticised what he described as a decline in standards of public conduct in American politics, delivering his first public response to a social media post shared from the account of President Donald Trump that included imagery depicting Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
Speaking during an interview released Saturday with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama addressed the controversy days after a video circulated on Trump’s platform, Truth Social, prompting criticism from Democratic and Republican figures as well as civil rights groups.
The clip, was later removed after drawing widespread backlash.
The video, approximately one minute long, promoted unfounded claims about fraud in the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Near its conclusion, the Obamas briefly appeared with their faces superimposed onto monkey bodies for about one second. The imagery circulated widely online before the post was deleted.
During the interview, Cohen referenced the segment directly, telling Obama: “The discourse has devolved into a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before … just days ago, Donald Trump put a picture of you, your face on an ape’s body.” He then asked how political debate in the United States could recover from what he described as a deterioration in public dialogue.
Obama did not mention Trump by name in his response but said most Americans were unsettled by the tone of modern political communication.
“There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television,” he said. “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.”
His remarks marked the first time the former president had publicly addressed the episode since the video appeared earlier this month.
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Obama framed the issue broadly, focusing on the standards governing political debate rather than the specific incident itself, and argued that voters ultimately would determine acceptable conduct through elections.
Representatives linked to Trump initially dismissed criticism of the post as exaggerated.
The White House — responding to questions shortly after the video gained attention — rejected what it called “fake outrage” before later saying the offensive imagery had been shared inadvertently by a staff member.
Officials said the post was removed once the error was identified.
Trump told reporters following the controversy that he supported the broader claims made in the video concerning the 2020 election but said he had not seen the final portion containing the imagery of the Obamas.
He has continued to assert, without evidence, that the election was improperly decided, claims repeatedly rejected by courts, state election officials and members of his own administration at the time.
The episode comes amid heightened scrutiny of political rhetoric in the United States as campaigning intensifies ahead of upcoming congressional contests.
Researchers and advocacy organisations have warned for several years about increasingly hostile language and imagery circulating on social media platforms, particularly involving race and political identity.
Obama, the first Black president in U.S. history, has periodically commented on the effects of online discourse since leaving office in 2017, often urging political leaders and technology companies to promote more responsible engagement.
His latest remarks echoed earlier warnings that democratic institutions depend partly on shared norms governing political behaviour.
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While Obama suggested the electorate would ultimately judge such conduct, he did not outline specific actions he believes political leaders or platforms should take. Instead, he emphasized public reaction as the determining factor, saying accountability would come through voter decisions rather than institutional intervention.
The controversy has drawn responses from lawmakers across party lines, though reactions have varied in intensity.
Some Republican officials criticised the imagery as inappropriate while others avoided direct comment, focusing instead on broader debates over free speech and political expression online. Democratic lawmakers and civil rights organisations condemned the depiction as racially offensive and indicative of worsening political polarization.
Social media companies have faced mounting pressure in recent years to regulate misleading or inflammatory content, particularly posts tied to elections.
Truth Social, launched after Trump left mainstream platforms following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, operates with moderation policies distinct from larger networks, though it has occasionally removed content following public backlash.
Neither Trump’s campaign representatives nor platform administrators have provided additional details about how the video was approved for posting or what internal review processes led to its removal. It also remains unclear whether any staff disciplinary measures were taken.
Obama concluded his remarks by expressing confidence that public opinion would shape future political standards, saying the “answer is going to come from the American people.” No further response from Trump had been issued as of Saturday, and neither side indicated plans for additional statements.
