US President Donald Trump has again drawn criticism after sharing an AI-generated image depicting former President Barack Obama and other former officials in fabricated booking photographs, reigniting scrutiny over his repeated attacks on the Obama family. The digitally altered image, which Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday and labelled 'The Shady Bunch', showed Obama and several Democratic political figures posed in orange jumpsuits in a grid styled after the opening sequence of the TV show 'The Brady Bunch'.
The post came several months after a separate controversy in which Trump shared content portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, a move that sparked widespread condemnation from both parties and renewed debate over the longstanding hostility between Trump and Obama.
Trump's AI-Generated Barack Obama Mugshot Sparks Backlash Online
According to TMZ, Trump reposted an AI-generated image that falsely portrayed Obama and other former senior officials in a police booking scenario. The fabricated image included former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, all dressed in orange jumpsuits and holding name plates. Trump captioned the post: 'This is a bad (Sick!) group of people. Very destructive to our great Nation. Caused tremendous damage through Weaponization!'
The image rapidly spread across social media platforms, where critics condemned the president for sharing manipulated political content. Supporters, meanwhile, defended the repost as satire and political trolling.
President Trump Posts Barack Obama's A.I. Mugshot on Truth Social https://t.co/X1owCu3aCL
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 25, 2026
Trump's Earlier Racist Post About Barack and Michelle Obama
The mugshot controversy was not the first time Trump faced outrage over content involving the Obamas. Earlier this year, Trump shared a video in which Barack and Michelle Obama were portrayed as apes, prompting fierce backlash online and condemnation from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Senator Tim Scott, the Senate's only Black Republican and a Trump ally, said it was 'the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House' and called for its removal.
Critics said the imagery echoed racist tropes historically aimed at Black public figures. The video circulated across TikTok, X, and other platforms before being deleted from Trump's Truth Social account.
The Obama Foundation appeared to respond indirectly by sharing a montage of the couple's love story. 'Love is Beautiful,' the caption read. Obama himself addressed the controversy separately in a podcast interview, describing what he called a 'clown show' on social media and television, and saying that most Americans 'find this behaviour deeply troubling.'
Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it. https://t.co/gADoM13ssZ
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) February 6, 2026
White House Faces Questions Over Response to Racist Obama Posts
The White House initially dismissed criticism as 'fake outrage' before later blaming a staff member for the post, saying a staffer had 'erroneously' published the video. Trump said he had not watched the whole clip and 'didn't make a mistake.'
The controversy also underscored the historically tense relationship between Trump and Obama — one that stretches back to Trump's promotion of the false 'birther' conspiracy questioning Obama's citizenship. Obama later mocked Trump during the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event many political analysts believe intensified Trump's hostility toward the former president. Since then, the two have frequently exchanged public criticism.
The recent AI-generated imagery and racially charged posts have further deepened divisions surrounding both men. Critics argue the incidents reflect a broader pattern of inflammatory political communication, while Trump allies continue to frame the posts as humour and partisan provocation rather than racism or disinformation.
