Washington D.C. — Former U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned a manipulated video shared by Donald Trump showing him in handcuffs, describing it as “bizarre, ridiculous, and a weak attempt at distraction.”

The AI-generated clip, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Sunday, depicts a fabricated scene of Obama being arrested during a digitally altered Oval Office meeting. The video ends with Obama in an orange jumpsuit inside a federal facility — a deepfake based on footage from the actual post-2016 election meeting between the two leaders.

Context of the Controversy

The video emerged shortly after Tulsi Gabbard, the current Director of National Intelligence (DNI), accused the Obama administration of orchestrating a “years-long coup” against President Trump.

Speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Gabbard claimed that former Obama-era officials, including ex-FBI Director James Comey and former DNI James Clapper, “manufactured intelligence” to support accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people,” Gabbard said. “It was essentially a coup with the objective of usurping the presidency.”

She revealed that referrals had been sent to the Justice Department for possible prosecution of those officials.

Obama’s Office Responds

In a rare public statement, the Office of Former President Barack Obama responded to both the video and the claims made by Gabbard.

“Out of respect for the Office of the Presidency, we typically do not respond to every piece of misinformation,” the statement began. “However, these bizarre allegations are so outrageous that they merit a response.”

“These claims are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by Senator Marco Rubio, reaffirmed in 2020 that while Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election, there is no evidence they successfully altered any votes.”

This firm rebuttal is notable, as Obama’s office usually refrains from engaging in political commentary — highlighting the seriousness with which it viewed the incident.

Trump Doubles Down

In several follow-up posts, Trump praised Tulsi Gabbard and other figures echoing her claims.

“Great job by young and talented Harrison Fields on FoxNews,” Trump wrote. “Congratulations to Tulsi Gabbard. Keep it coming!!!”

He also shared doctored mugshots of Obama-era officials and demanded the arrest of Senator Adam Schiff.

Trump went further by referencing intelligence reports:

“There was no Intelligence showing Russia tried to hack the election before November 2016. But the documents I declassified show a shift in narrative that started in early December.”

Political Fallout Grows

Democratic lawmakers quickly pushed back against both the deepfake video and Gabbard’s accusations.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on X:

“It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard is once again weaponising her role to push election conspiracy theories. It's appalling to accuse the intelligence community of a ‘treasonous conspiracy’ while defending people like Edward Snowden.”

This growing controversy comes as Trump’s administration also faces renewed scrutiny over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Despite widespread public pressure, officials insist no “client list” exists and maintain Epstein died by suicide — statements that have stirred backlash, even among Trump supporters.