WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama decried a collapse in political civility on Saturday, breaking his silence on a Truth Social video from President Donald Trump that briefly superimposed monkey bodies onto him and Michelle Obama.
The February 5 post, promoting unsubstantiated 2020 election fraud claims, drew bipartisan backlash; the White House first dismissed it as “fake outrage,” then blamed a staff error and removed it. In a new interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama addressed the one-second clip without naming Trump, lamenting a “devolution of the discourse” into unprecedented cruelty.
“Most Americans find this behavior deeply troubling,” Obama said. He highlighted lost “decorum and respect for the office” among once-restrained figures, predicting electoral backlash for Republicans and ultimate redemption through voters.
Obama also assailed Trump’s Minnesota immigration raids, ended this week after two fatal ICE-involved shootings. Labeling agent actions “rogue” and akin to “authoritarian countries,” he praised community resistance via protests, cameras, and truth in freezing weather as a hopeful sign for America’s resilience.
The operations fueled nationwide fury and a partial DHS shutdown on February 14, with Democrats blocking funds until ICE reforms.