Obama Condemns Racist Video, Blasts Minneapolis ICE Raids as Funding Fight Escalates

Overview

• Speaking on a podcast, Barack Obama called U.S. political discourse a 'spectacle of clowns' in his first response to a Truth Social post that depicted him and Michelle Obama with monkey bodies before it was deleted.
• President Donald Trump downplayed the episode, saying he saw only part of the video, while the White House said a staff member posted it and the publication drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
• In the same interview, Obama denounced federal agents’ conduct in Minneapolis as 'deeply worrying and dangerous,' comparing tactics to those seen in authoritarian regimes.
• Reporting says several thousand federal officers, often masked, have carried out raids in Minneapolis since December, and two U.S. citizens—Renee Good and Alex Pretti—were shot dead by federal agents last month after trying to oppose ICE.
• Tom Homan announced the Minnesota operation has ended, as Democratic leaders withhold DHS’s 2026 funding to press for ICE reforms including ending roving patrols, banning face concealment, and requiring judicial warrants for arrests.