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Fox News Ignores Trump’s Racist Post Featuring the Obamas
Fox News has not reported on a Truth Social post by former President Donald Trump. The post showed Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.
The post, shared late on February 5, 2026, recycled 2020 election conspiracy theories. It briefly displayed the Obamas’ faces on ape bodies. This is a well-known racist trope against Black Americans. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called it an “internet meme” showing Trump as “King of the Jungle.”
Some Republicans criticized the post. Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC), usually a Trump ally, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Other outlets, including Axios and CNN, called the image “overtly racist.”
Trump deleted the post after the backlash.
Right-Wing Media and Racial Content
Right-wing media often defend or downplay racist content showing Black people as monkeys or apes. By ignoring this post, Fox News follows a pattern of avoiding stories when racism is clear.
Media Tracking Methodology
Media Matters reviewed Fox News programs from February 5 to February 6, 2026. They searched for terms like “Trump,” “President,” “Truth Social,” “Obama,” “Barack,” “Michelle,” “ape,” “racist,” “post,” or “video.”
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Segments: Times the post was a main topic or discussed by two or more speakers.
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Mentions: When one speaker mentioned the post without others engaging.
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Teasers: Anchors promoting segments about the post.
The review found no significant coverage of the post on Fox News.
