Musician Jack White publicly condemned President Donald Trump for sharing a social media video that included a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama portrayed as apes. White took to Instagram on Feb. 6, 2026, calling the post “sick” and “deranged,” saying that such content would cost most people their job and questioning how someone in the nation’s highest office could share it. His remarks also referenced Trump’s broader political history and recent controversies, including Trump’s ties to the recently released Jeffrey Epstein files.

The contentious video appeared on Trump’s Truth Social account late Thursday night as part of a longer clip promoting false claims about the 2020 election. In the video, an AI-generated segment briefly showed the Obamas as apes set to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a depiction widely criticized as invoking historically racist tropes.

Trump’s post drew immediate bipartisan backlash, with Republican lawmakers including Senator Tim Scott calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the post as an “internet meme,” but the video was later deleted by midday Friday, with a White House official saying it was posted erroneously by a staffer. Critics across the political spectrum denounced the imagery as offensive and unacceptable, particularly given its timing during Black History Month.

White’s rebuke adds to the widespread outcry over the incident, positioning him among artists and public figures who have sharply criticized the former president’s use of social media to amplify provocative or divisive content.