As backlash grows over a racist video shared by Donald Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama decline to respond directly and instead spotlight U.S. athletes competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
At a Glance
• What happened: Donald Trump shared a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama, drawing widespread condemnation.
• Obama response: The former president and first lady did not address the post and instead publicly supported Team USA athletes.
• White House reaction: Officials initially dismissed criticism, later saying a staffer posted the video in error.
• Trump’s Stance: Trump Declined to Apologize, Saying He Did Not Watch the Full Video.
• Community response: Civil rights leaders and public figures condemned the post and praised the Obamas’ restraint.
Trump’s Stance: Trump Declined to Apologize, Saying He Did Not Watch the Full Video
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have not publicly responded to a racist social media post shared by President Donald Trump that depicted the couple using offensive imagery.
Instead, the Obamas used their public platform to spotlight American athletes competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics, now underway in Italy.
On Feb. 6, Obama posted a message on X expressing support for Team USA.
“To all the athletes representing @TeamUSA: I’m so proud of you,” Obama wrote. “Your talent and perseverance have brought you to this moment, and Michelle and I will be joining Americans from across the country cheering you on.”
The message was viewed more than 41 million times by Saturday morning.
The Obamas’ silence on Trump’s post was widely interpreted by supporters as intentional. The couple has long avoided directly engaging with Trump’s provocations, a pattern that dates back to Trump’s promotion of the false “birther” conspiracy during the 2016 presidential campaign questioning Obama’s citizenship.
Amid near-global condemnation of Trump’s latest post, many supporters viewed the Olympic message as a pointed but restrained response.
“Show us you’re unbothered without telling us you’re unbothered…. #Respect #ARealPresident,” the NAACP posted on X.
Former NBA guard and television basketball analyst Eldridge Recasner also weighed in.
“Today I GOTTA give some love to the FIRST Black President of America @POTUS44 @BarackObama and @FLOTUS44 @MichelleObama true class and excellence personified,” Recasner wrote. “Guess some have a right to be jealous of them as they set the Bar HIGH at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”
White House Response Draws Scrutiny
The video was one of dozens of posts shared on Trump’s Truth Social account late Feb. 5 and early Feb. 6, sparking immediate backlash and conflicting explanations from the White House.
Officials initially dismissed criticism, claiming the video referenced characters from The Lion King. The post was later removed after approximately 12 hours, and a White House official told USA TODAY that a staffer had posted it in error.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a close Trump ally and prominent Black Republican, said he was alarmed by the post.
Related: Trump’s Racist Post is Deleted Following Backlash
He wrote that he was “praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Trump refused to apologize, saying he did not view the entire video before it was shared.
I look at a lot of, thousands, of things, Trump told reporters while traveling aboard Air Force One on Feb. 6. And I looked at the beginning of it, it was fine.
When asked whether he planned to apologize, Trump said he did not. Later, when pressed on whether he condemned the racist portion of the video, Trump said, “of course I do,” but added, “I didn’t make a mistake.”
‘When They Go Low, We Go High’
An Obama spokesperson initially said the former president had no response. Shortly afterward, the Obama Foundation released a video montage highlighting the couple’s relationship and shared values.
The response reflected Michelle Obama’s widely cited words from the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
“When they go low,” she said, “we go high.”
She has since clarified that the phrase does not mean silence or inaction.
“It’s about making your work count and your voice heard in a way that’s authentic to you and constructive for others,” she said.
Civil Rights Leaders Condemn Post
NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the video “utterly despicable,” accusing Trump of using racial provocation to distract from political and legal scrutiny, including renewed attention to documents involving Jeffrey Epstein.
“You know who isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama,” Johnson said. “You know who actually improved the economy as president? Barack Obama.”
Johnson warned that silence in moments like this carries consequences.
“Every elected official, every corporation, every organization, if you are silent now, if you are not condemning the behavior of the President of the United States, history will remember,” he wrote. “And I assure, our community will remember as well.”
