Barack Obama dances with Michelle in Valentine’s Day post after condemning Trump’s racist ‘ape’ video

Michelle posted the same picture, calling Barack her ‘forever Valentine’ LifestyleBarack Obama dances with Michelle in Valentine’s Day post after condemning Trump’s racist ‘ape’ videoMichelle posted the same picture, calling Barack her ‘forever Valentine’ Carsen Holaday in New York Sunday 15 February 2026 17:30 ESTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverBarack Obama responds to President Donald Trump's ape videoYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreBarack Obama has shared a romantic gesture to his wife Michelle after pushing back on a racist video about the couple that was platformed by President Donald Trump.Less than a day after breaking his silence on the since-deleted video depicting the couple as apes, Barack brought the attention back to his 33-year marriage to his “forever dance partner” with a new Instagram post.“Celebrated Valentine’s Day with my forever dance partner. Love you, Miche!” the former president, 64, wrote Sunday on Instagram. The picture showed the former first couple dancing cheek-to-cheek in front of a heart-shaped bouquet of roses, with Michelle wearing a strapless black leather dress.Michelle, 62, shared the same picture Sunday with the caption: “My forever Valentine. Love you, always, Barack!”The sweet proclamation comes after a White House official told The Independent a staffer “erroneously” made the offensive postshared to Trump’s Truth Social account last week. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially claimed the post was “from an internet meme video” and said to “stop the fake outrage.”open image in galleryMichelle and Barack Obama shared Valentine's Day tributes to each other amid the fallout of a racist video about them posted on the White House's official social media account (Getty)However, Barack was calm, not outraged, when he reacted to the clip during a 47-minute interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.“First of all, I think it's important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” Barack said about the racist video, as well as other shows of “cruelty” online from the Trump administration.“It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction. But, as I’m traveling around the country, as you’re traveling around the country, you meet people — they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness,” said Barack, who served as President from 2009 to 2017.open image in galleryA video shared by Donald Trump showed Barack and Michelle Obama as apes in the jungle (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)“And there’s this sort of clown show 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. So that’s been lost.”He concluded his answer: “But the reason I point out that I don't think the majority of the American people approve of this is because, ultimately, the answer is going to come from the American people.”The White House has not returned The Independent’s request for comment about the video. Trump has refused to apologize for the video, which has sparked backlash from people condemning the message as “racist” and “disgusting.”More aboutBarack ObamaMichelle ObamaTrumpJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesCommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next