Late-night posting spree includes conspiracy content and racially offensive imagery, drawing swift condemnation from politicians, journalists, and scholars.

A wave of outrage has erupted after former U.S. President Donald Trump shared a racially offensive video portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys during a late-night burst of social media activity.

Out of respect for the former president and first lady, the images from the video are not being shared.

The post appeared amid an overnight spree in which Trump published dozens of messages on a wide range of topics, from trivial internet clips to extremist conspiracy content. One video, originally linked to 2020 election falsehoods, reportedly ended with a crude and dehumanizing animation of the Obama family.

The incident has triggered sharp backlash across social media and the political spectrum, with critics describing the post as racist, disgraceful, and beneath the dignity of any current or former U.S. president.

“Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in response.

Journalist Mehdi Hasan said the episode underscored what he called a troubling double standard in U.S. political coverage. “In normal times, this would end the political career of a state senator. But it won’t harm the president at all,” he said, arguing that major media outlets have failed to confront Trump’s record on racism with sufficient seriousness.

Other commentators warned that such conduct would have far-reaching consequences in most democratic societies. Writing on X, user @Gandalv described the post as “an assault on the dignity of the state itself,” adding that in functioning democracies, behavior like this from a head of state would provoke a constitutional crisis.

Former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes struck a historical note, saying future generations would judge the contrast sharply. “Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying Trump as a stain on our history,” he wrote.

Political historian Brian Rosenwald echoed that sentiment, noting that in previous eras, overtly racist conduct by a president would have triggered unified condemnation from their party and intense pressure to resign.

For many observers, the most unsettling aspect was not shock, but familiarity. Critics argue the episode reflects a continued erosion of basic political norms and decency—another line crossed in a pattern that has repeatedly inflamed racial tensions and diminished the moral standing of American leadership.

As backlash continues to build, the incident has reignited broader questions about accountability, media scrutiny, and how much behavior the public is willing to tolerate from those who seek—or once held—the highest office in the land.