It has caused an uproar and many people are furious with the President of the United States taking to his Truth Social platform and uploading the former President Barack Obama and the First Lady as primates with their faces superimposed on apes’ bodies.

President Trump’s representatives said he was aiming to show a scene from The Lion King with him as King of the Jungle.

A lot of people are upset about this and say it is unbecoming and ugly behaviour by a sitting President.

Even some Republicans have registered their disapproval.

 MAGA supporters hold the view that people are overreacting and that this is yet another example of the Woke brigade getting worked up about nothing.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained: “ This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.

“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.” 

Both Barack and Michelle Obama have not issued a statement on being depicted as apes by the President.

There has long been tension between President Trump and President Obama with the former once claiming that the other was not born in the United States and was therefore ineligible to become the President of the United States.

President Obama was in office for two terms and still enjoys a high favourability rating. Today he is regarded as an educated, wise statesman whose counsel is sought. 

Many black people are outraged by Trump’s depiction and called for him to take it down as soon as possible.

“We have seen the trope for centuries now and racism is real. Our people come face to face with it everyday. Trump does not like the love American people have for Obama and he will find a way to put him in jail and destroy his good standing. Just imagine how we must explain this to our children. To black people who voted for Trump, this is what he thinks of you,”  said Thomas Lewis of Buck Head, Atlanta.

The President’s depiction was favourably received getting some 3,000 likes and was reposted more than 1,500 times.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott said: “This is the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”

Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska posted: “ Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this. The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologise.

Democratic political strategist Adam Parkhomenko added, “This is overt racism, full-stop. There’s no misinterpretation and no excuse. This is who he is, who he’s always been and why he should never be anywhere near power again.” 

The backlash did see President Trump remove the post.

“They knew what they were doing and you black people in Jamaica and the Caribbean better wake up because Trump is coming for you so you better support each other. Trump posted it in the first week of Black History Month. Barack and Michelle are modern heroes of our people and he diminished them as apes…. During Black History Month. The likes of Jay Z, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj have yet to condemn this. What the President of the United States was saying is that all you black folk are apes and he won’t be apologising for saying so,” said Cathy Moyet a former editor at “Source”.