Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes

Episode: Trump Posts Racist Video Depicting Obamas as Apes
Date: February 6, 2026
Host: The Bulwark team (Sam Stein, Andrew Egger, Tim Miller, guest appearances by others)

Episode Overview

This urgent episode takes on the breaking controversy of former President Donald Trump’s late-night posting of a video that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. The Bulwark panel dives into the content of the video, Trump’s pattern of behavior, the official and unofficial Republican response, and the broader implications for American politics and media. The discussion is spirited, deeply critical, and laced with exasperated humor as the team dissects defenses and counter-arguments from Trump’s circle and probes the reaction across the political landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Incident: Trump Posts Racist Video

• Context: Trump, late-night on Truth Social, posted a video ending with a clip that superimposed Barack and Michelle Obama’s faces onto dancing apes.
• Nature of the Content:
  • The offensive two-second clip was tacked onto the end of an otherwise unrelated, conspiracy-laden video alleging 2020 election fraud (microchips, ballot switching, etc.)
  • The meme originated from a pro-Trump creator known for producing AI-generated, right-wing content.

Quote:

"Among them was one of the more racist things I've ever seen from a president. Definitely the most, one of the most racist, maybe the most racist thing ever seen for president."
– Sam Stein (02:45)

Quote:

"So, very, very weird...the Obamas superimposed onto the bodies of dancing apes. The two second clip comes at the end of a minute long totally unrelated video that the President posted which was also insane about...totally invented election conspiracies."
– Andrew Egger (03:25)

2. The White House Response and Excuses

• White House (Trump Team) Initial Reaction:
  • Claimed it was an internet meme referencing Lion King, not meant to be racist.
  • Later claimed a staffer posted it accidentally, which the panel finds implausible given the context.
• Discrepancy:
  • Lion King angle debunked—the film has monkeys (Rafiki) but no apes, and no depiction equivalent to the video.
  • Trump posted multiple videos at the same time, suggesting hands-on involvement.

Quote:

"Just a fact checking here. There are no monkeys in Lion King...the charitable explanation here is our president wasn't trying to be racist. He was just up late at night posting weird Internet memes and conspiracy videos. And that, as a defense, is so ridiculous, so insulting, so pathetic, that you gotta laugh at it."
– Sam Stein (06:40)

• Debate over Lion King detail:
  • Panel jokingly debates which "animal" characters are in Lion King, but underscore this is a feeble rationalization.

Quote:

"There are no apes, so it makes no sense. Again, we don't need to equivocate. It's racist or deranged or a combination of the two."
– Sam Stein (09:23)

3. Pattern of Racism and Political Context

• Historical Pattern:
  • Trump’s history brings context: Central Park Five, comments on Mexicans, depiction of Democrats with racialized stereotypes.
  • Republican reluctance to directly criticize or distance from Trump’s acts.

Quote:

"Whether it's the Central Park Five stuff, whether it's depicting Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries in sombreros, how he talks about Mexicans, how he treats black female reporters—there is a clear, established pattern. And to deny it is to actually be...what's the word? Subjective."
– Sam Stein (09:37)

• GOP Lawmaker Reactions:
  • Only Senators Tim Scott and Mike Lawler publicly respond within hours, each hedging (“praying it was fake”, “whether intentional or a mistake”)—demonstrates unwillingness to directly confront the issue.
  • The panel mocks Republicans’ reaction: "You know it wasn't fake. You see it with your own eyes." (21:58)

Quote:

"It's a pretty standard pattern of behavior and policy from the White House. On one level, it's kind of funny to see reaction from some Republicans this morning who are like, 'Oh gosh, the president's really crossed a line with this one,'...It's like, where you been for all this?"
– Andrew Egger (10:31)

4. The Meme/Internet Culture Defense

• Right-wing Meme Culture Critique:
  • Panel highlights a nihilistic, bigoted undercurrent in online right-wing meme culture, where racism is masked as humor or irony.
  • Trump now more "plugged in" to internet slop, no longer just cable news.

Quote:

"So much of what this right wing meme culture draws on is just like the broadest, most ridiculous stereotypes and caricatures and bigotry...The idea, 'Oh, we weren't doing black people as apes for racist reasons. We were just doing it for funny Lion King related reasons.' I mean, it's straightforwardly crazy."
– Andrew Egger (07:08)

Quote:

"His brain was already so cooked before this. ... The degree to which he is like, in sloppifying his own mind every day cannot be over overstated."
– Andrew Egger (08:52)

5. The “Gaslighting” and Refusal to Apologize

• Gaslighting:
  • More damaging than the meme itself is the relentless refusal to admit error and the bizarre justifications.
  • Republican/conservative infrastructure protects "one of their guys" (the meme creator), making apologies impossible.

Quote:

"You can tell that they cannot abide even throwing the original meme creator under the bus...You can never apologize for it. You can never say anything. And it was actually bad."
– Andrew Egger (17:06)

6. Broader Impact and Continuing Conversation

• Does it Matter Politically?
  • Panel debates if this racism harms Trump’s base or only entrenches both sides—consensus is that while it disgusts some voters, a large portion either don’t care or actively approve.
  • Reference to "two very different conversations" in America.

Quote:

"I don't want to feel like I live in a racist country where the President is a racist...there is, you know, some good reason to be black-pilled because I do think probably...somewhere in the neighborhood of like 55 million Americans see that and they're like, yeah, and so that's pretty concerning. But, like, there's a meaningful segment of people that don't like to see Trump's overt racism."
– Tim Miller (23:20)

Quote:

"Every new instance of it is...frustrating further moral training in, like, holding your nose and pretending that obviously bad things are fine and good. And that is actually, like, he continues to pump this sewage out into the public sphere."
– Andrew Egger (25:24)

7. Policy Connections and Larger Consequences

• Substantive Racism and Policy:
  • Panel links racist rhetoric to harsh immigration/detention policies and administrative actions targeting minorities.
  • Examples: ICE detaining a Jamaican immigrant of 50 years, mislabeling legal residents or foreign criminals for propaganda.

Quote:

"Some of this is cruelty is the point stuff. Some of this is just backlog...Some of that's incompetence."
– Tim Miller (29:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sam Stein’s opening reaction:

  "Our President has done something pretty damn racist." — (02:45)

• Andrew Egger highlights meme culture's role:

  "This is the President of the United States with the biggest platform in the world. There is a responsibility to post and know what you're posting." — (13:41)

• Tim Miller ridicules Republican responses:

  "That theory doesn't really work for Trump, though, because his fingers are so small." — (21:49)

• Dark humor over gaslighting:

  "How would it materially change it? It would go from racist gaslighting to just racism." — Tim Miller (16:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:45] - Sam Stein introduces and frames shocking racist post
• [03:25] - Andrew Egger describes the content and context of the video
• [06:40] - White House ‘Lion King’ excuse and panel debunks
• [07:08 - 09:37] - Meme culture, internet slop, and Trump’s “brain”
• [13:41] - Accountability of Trump, media responsibility
• [17:06] - Gaslighting and why there’s never an apology or admission
• [21:49] - Republican responses, hedging, and hand-wringing
• [23:20 - 26:13] - Does this matter politically? Will it ever?
• [28:35] - Linking the rhetoric to actual cruel immigration policy

Tone and Style

The episode maintains a balance of moral outrage, incredulity, and gallows humor—reflecting both the seriousness of the issue and the exhaustion of tracking an endless cycle of offensive Trump antics that rarely receive adequate condemnation from his supporters or party. The panelists punctuate their criticism with sarcastic asides, pop culture references, and a persistent demand for accountability.

Conclusion

The episode closes with a recognition of the disturbing normalization of overt racism on the American right, the ongoing refusal of GOP leaders to break with Trump, and a warning about the corrosive effects of “just a meme” propaganda on the political and moral fabric of the country. The discussion is urgent, unsparing, and remains focused not on the meme’s surface absurdity but on its deeply troubling implications.