Former U.S. president Barack Obama has denounced what he described as a growing erosion of shame and decorum in American political discourse, responding publicly for the first time to a controversial social media post shared from the account of Donald Trump that depicted him and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
Speaking in a wide-ranging podcast interview with progressive commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, released Saturday, Obama lamented what he called a sharp decline in civility in US politics. The video in question, shared on Trump’s Truth Social account on February 5, drew swift condemnation across the political spectrum.
The one-minute clip, which promoted conspiracy theories surrounding Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, briefly showed the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the bodies of monkeys. The White House initially dismissed criticism as “fake outrage” before later attributing the post to a staff error and removing it.
Referring to the broader climate rather than naming Trump directly, Obama said most Americans “find this behaviour deeply troubling.”
“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 decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office. That’s been lost.”
Obama suggested that such rhetoric could ultimately hurt Republicans in the midterm elections, adding that “the answer is going to come from the American people.”
Trump has told reporters he stood by the video’s claims about election fraud but said he had not seen the offensive segment at the end.
The former president also sharply criticised Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, likening the conduct of federal agents during the weeks-long operation to tactics seen in authoritarian regimes.
The enforcement campaign, led in part by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), involved sweeping raids and arrests that the administration described as targeted actions against criminal offenders. However, the operation was marred by controversy, including two fatal shootings that intensified public backlash.
“The rogue behaviour of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous,” Obama said, describing the scenes as reminiscent of “authoritarian countries” and “dictatorships.”
Despite his criticism, Obama said he drew hope from communities that mobilised in response — organising peaceful protests, documenting enforcement activities, and demanding accountability.
“Citizens saying, ‘this is not the America we believe in,’ and pushing back with the truth and with cameras and with peaceful protests — that kind of sustained behaviour by ordinary people is what should give us hope,” he said. “As long as we have folks doing that, I feel like we’re going to get through this.”
The Minnesota operation sparked widespread demonstrations and fuelled national debate over immigration enforcement tactics. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security faced a partial government shutdown Saturday amid a funding standoff in Congress.
Democrats have opposed approving new funding for the agency until significant reforms are made to how ICE conducts its operations, setting the stage for further political confrontation in Washington.
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