WASHINGTON, 15 Feb. - (ANA) - Barack Obama criticised a lack of shame and decorum in America’s political discourse, as he responded to a post on Donald Trump’s social media that depicted him as a monkey.

 

The former US president also compared the actions of agents enforcing Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota to the behaviour of dictatorships.

 

The video, shared on Mr Trump’s Truth Social account on Feb 5, sparked censure across the US political spectrum, with the White House initially rejecting “fake outrage” only to then blame the post on an error by a staff member and take it down.

 

Near the end of a one-minute-long video promoting conspiracy theories about Mr Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, the Obamas, the first black US president and first lady, were shown with their faces on the bodies of monkeys for about one second.

 

Without naming Mr Trump, Mr Obama responded on Saturday by saying the majority of Americans “find this behaviour deeply troubling”.

 

Mr Obama said: “There’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television, and what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office, right? That’s been lost.”

 

He made the comments in a wide-ranging podcast interview with Brian Tyler Cohen, the Left-wing political commentator.

 

Mr Obama predicted that what he called a lack of decorum would hurt the Republicans in mid-term elections, saying “ultimately, the answer is going to come from the American people”.

 

Mr Trump has told reporters he stood by the thrust of the video’s claims about election fraud, but that he had not seen the offensive clip at the end.

 

 

 

 

Mr Obama criticised Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota and the conduct of agents during the controversial operation that was brought to an end this week.

 

Mr Obama called the behaviour of federal officers, which included two fatal shootings, something that “in the past we’ve seen in authoritarian countries and we’ve seen in dictatorships”.

 

Thousands of federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, carried out weeks of sweeping raids and arrests in what the Trump administration claims were targeted missions against criminals.

 

“The rogue behaviour of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous,” Mr Obama said, but added that he found hope in communities pushing back against the operations.

 

He said: “Not just randomly, but in a systematic, organised way. Citizens saying: ‘This is not the America we believe in and we’re going to fight back, and we’re going to push back with the truth and with cameras and with peaceful protests.’

 

“That kind of heroic, sustained behaviour in sub-zero weather by ordinary people is what should give us hope. As long as we have folks doing that, I feel like we’re going to get through this.”

 

The aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota triggered large protests and nationwide outrage.

 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was subject to a partial government shutdown on Saturday as American politicians fought over funding the agency overseeing the crackdown.

 

Democrats are opposing any new DHS funding until major changes are implemented in how ICE conducts its operations.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/15 February 2026  - - -