President Donald Trump sparked new controversy on Saturday after he reposted a message from far-right activist Laura Loomer that called former First Lady Michelle Obama an “anti-white racist,” just weeks after the White House rushed to remove a racist video portraying the Obamas as primates.

On Feb. 21, 2026, Trump reshared Loomer’s Truth Social post, which included provocative statements about both Michelle and former President Barack Obama. The post claimed the Obamas were preparing “witch hunts against Trump” and described Michelle Obama as an “anti-White racist,” while referring to the former president by his full name, “Barack Hussein Obama.”

The repost came fewer than three weeks after Trump circulated a 62-second video showing the Obamas’ faces superimposed onto primate bodies. That Feb. 5 video stayed online for nearly 12 hours before backlash from both Republicans and Democrats prompted the White House to delete it and attribute the upload to a staffer.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially stood by the primate video, dismissing objections as manufactured outrage and claiming it originated from a meme depicting Trump as the King of the Jungle with Democrats portrayed as characters from The Lion King. Hours later, the administration reversed course and removed the post.

While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One after the removal, Trump said he hadn’t seen the end of the video and declined to apologize. When asked whether he condemned the video’s racist content, Trump said, “Of course I do.”

The incidents came during Black History Month, creating a striking conflict with Trump’s official proclamation celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black Americans.

The uproar over the initial video crossed party lines. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate’s only Black Republican, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who is white and represents the state with the country’s highest percentage of Black residents, denounced the post as “totally unacceptable.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson issued a blistering response: “Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable.”

Rev. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., reacted by sharing one of her father’s quotes: “Yes. I’m Black. I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful.” She added that Black Americans “are beloved of God as postal workers and professors, as a former first lady and president. We are not apes.”

Former President Obama addressed the controversy for the first time during a podcast interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen that aired Saturday, Feb. 15. He was asked about the “de-evolution of the discourse” from the Trump administration, particularly in light of the racist video.

The Saturday repost also included a threat from Trump directed at Netflix, demanding the company remove board member Susan Rice. “Netflix should fire racist, Trump Deranged Susan Rice, IMMEDIATELY, or pay the consequences,” Trump wrote. “She’s got no talent or skills – purely a political hack!” Netflix declined to directly address Trump’s remarks, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos responded to the BBC by saying, “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal.”

Rice, who previously served as national security adviser and U.N. ambassador in the Obama administration, first joined Netflix’s board in 2018, stepped away during the Biden years, and returned in 2023. Netflix maintains additional ties to the Obamas through its overall agreement with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions to create series and films for the platform.

Loomer’s original post claimed that if the pending Netflix–Warner Bros. merger is approved, “positive messaging of the Democrats’ upcoming witch hunts against Trump” would be “blasted across all streaming services as the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions continues to grow within Netflix.”

The controversy comes as Trump faces growing criticism over several policy actions. The incidents have heightened concerns about who has access to and control over the president’s social media account, which he frequently uses to announce policy shifts, impose import taxes, and speak directly to the public.

The recurring racial controversies have dominated media coverage and prompted fierce condemnations from civil rights groups and lawmakers across the political spectrum, who argue such rhetoric is unacceptable from the White House.