Former President Barack Obama has addressed the racially charged AI-generated video President Trump posted showing Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama depicted as apes, but he’s drawing a firm line against becoming Trump’s daily antagonist.
In an interview with New Yorker writer Peter Slevin, published May 4, 2026, Obama warned Trump to leave his family alone while declaring he won’t take what he described as the “political bait” of serving as a running commentator on White House controversies. The remarks represent his most direct response to one of the most explosive racial incidents of Trump’s second term.
More Worried About War Videos
The nation’s first Black president told Slevin he’s actually more troubled by other AI content Trump has shared — material depicting war “like a video game” and showing “excrement dumped on ordinary citizens.” Those posts, Obama argued, pose a more serious threat to presidential standards than even the racist imagery targeting his own family.
Still, Obama made clear his family is off-limits. Personal attacks against him come with the job, he said, but dragging in Michelle and his children crosses a boundary.
“I don’t take it personally,” Obama said. “I mean, I’m always offended when my wife and kids get dragged into things, because they didn’t choose this…That’s a line that even people whose politics I deeply reject, I would expect them to care about. I would never talk about somebody’s family in that way.”
With characteristic dry wit, the former president added that Trump should focus his attacks elsewhere: “I’m a fair target in the sense of, yeah, you can feel free to pick on me, because I’m your own size.”
A Line Even Opponents Should Respect
Trump’s Truth Social account shared the controversial footage in February as part of a longer video promoting baseless 2020 election fraud claims. Set to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” the AI clip appeared to come from an October X post by conservative meme creator Xerias, and triggered immediate bipartisan backlash.
Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, condemned it as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” During the State of the Union Address, Congressman Al Green held up a sign reading “Black People Aren’t Apes,” capturing Democratic fury. The imagery invoked longstanding racist tropes equating Black people with monkeys, and even some longtime Trump supporters called it one of his presidency’s most overtly racist moments.
The White House first dismissed criticism as “fake outrage,” then blamed a staff member for the post. After the video was deleted, Trump acknowledged posting it himself and refused to apologize. When reporters asked if he planned to say sorry, the president answered bluntly, “I didn’t make a mistake.”
Why He Won’t Be the Next Jon Stewart
Despite Democrats clamoring for Obama to emerge as a prominent resistance voice, he flatly rejected becoming a professional Trump critic.
“For me to function like Jon Stewart, even once a week, just going off, just ripping what was happening — which, by the way, I’m glad Jon’s doing it — then I’m not a political leader, I’m a commentator,” he said.
Obama recognized supporter frustration, admitting the current media landscape obscures his behind-the-scenes work — including upcoming midterm election efforts and anti-gerrymandering referendum campaigns. The expectation has shifted toward constant performance over substantive engagement, he said.
A ‘Clown Show’ and a Country
Obama’s New Yorker interview expands on remarks he made during a 47-minute episode released on Feb. 14 on liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen’s show. Cohen described a national discourse that “has devolved to a level of cruelty that we haven’t seen before,” pressing Obama on both the ape video and the White House calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement targets “domestic terrorists.”
Obama labeled the spectacle a “clown show” while insisting ordinary Americans he encounters while traveling still value “decency, courtesy, kindness.”
Obama also praised peaceful immigration enforcement protesters during the podcast, discussed electoral redistricting fights, and previewed his presidential library opening later in Chicago in 2026.
His continued public role has exacted a personal toll. Obama revealed in the same New Yorker interview that staying politically active has caused “genuine tension” in his marriage. Michelle, he said, “wants to see her husband easing up and spending more time with her, enjoying what remains of our lives.” Obama noted he’s more accepting of the pressure, observing that no other former president has functioned as the main party surrogate across four consecutive election cycles after leaving office.
Obama seems prepared to choose his fights carefully — protecting his family fiercely, working quietly on elections, and leaving daily commentary to others. As he told the New Yorker, most Americans already view Trump’s conduct as “deeply troubling.” He doesn’t think they need daily reminders.