What has been sold to the public as Donald Trump “sharing a racist video of the Obamas as apes” was never that — not even close.
What actually happened is obvious to anyone willing to look at the facts rather than their Twitter feed:
Trump (or someone running his Truth Social account) screen-grabbed a one-minute video about election integrity. Because Truth Social auto-queues the next video, the clip accidentally captured a second or two of an entirely different, corny AI video at the end — a “Trump as King of the Jungle” meme where multiple Democratic politicians were portrayed as animals and Trump appeared as a lion.
That’s it. A clipping error. A trivial editing mistake.
Trump did not share the “jungle” video. He did not promote it. He did not even select it.
Left-wing outlets and “Republicans Against Trump” accounts ripped out that final second, removed it from context, and lied to the world: “Trump posted a racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.”
It was a contextless hoax from the first moment it was shared — and anyone claiming otherwise is either ignorant, dishonest, or malicious.
Why This Matters: A Perfect Litmus Test
This controversy is not primarily about Trump. It is about truth, integrity, and discernment — which makes this episode a near-perfect litmus test for evaluating “Christian” influencers and leaders.
Watch how people responded. Their reaction tells you who they are.
Category 1: The Liars (False Teachers Who Should Be Marked and Avoided)
These are the Russell Moore / Phil Vischer / Sho Baraka types — the evangelical progressives who know the truth and lie anyway.
They saw the evidence.
They knew it was a clipping error.
And they still pushed the narrative that Trump “shared a racist video.”
This is not a minor mistake. This is not “oops.” This is willful bearing false witness.
When someone repeatedly lies in public, refuses correction, and doubles down, Scripture gives us a category for that behavior: unrepentant sin.
These men:
- Twist language (“racism,” “Christian,” “loving your neighbor”) to smuggle in progressive ideology.
- Present themselves as “above the fray” while faithfully serving the Left’s talking points.
- Lie when it benefits their tribe.
- Refuse to repent when exposed.
This is 1 Corinthians 5 territory. This is mark and avoid territory.
Barring open, public repentance, these men should not be treated as trustworthy Christians — much less as teachers.
Category 2: The Cowards (Useful Idiots for the Left)
These are the “third-way platform pastors” who won’t tell the truth when it’s hard.
They didn’t affirm the hoax — but they also refused to expose it.
Instead, they posted vapid boilerplate:
“Racism is bad.”
“We should love everyone.”
“Let’s lower the temperature.”
Stunning. Brave. Groundbreaking.
Jack Graham is a prime example. He issued a generic condemnation of “racism” without once acknowledging that Trump did not post the video in question.
What does this signal to the Left?
It signals that all you have to do is yell “racism,” and these men will fold like a cheap suit.
They will never stand in the gap for truth if it risks reputational damage.
They are not necessarily unbelievers — but they function as useful idiots for progressive activists.
Category 3: The Careerists (John Piper Model)
John Piper’s account amplified Russell Moore with a comment like:
“One not to be so [sic] afraid of sounding “quasi-woke” that one cannot agree with Russell Moore on this.”
This was wrong — factually and morally. And it aged like milk.
Now watch what happens next, because this is the playbook of institutional Christianity:
Piper (or his team) will never repent publicly.
Instead, they will bury the controversy in a flood of safe, generic Bible verses — a social media smokescreen of truisms:
- “Jesus is Lord.”
- “Trust in Christ.”
- “God is sovereign.”
- John 3:16.
Piper’s three follow-up posts. All true. All good. And strategically used to avoid accountability.
This is how many influential Christian leaders operate:
- Make a false or reckless statement.
- Refuse to correct it.
- Flood the timeline with uncontroversial Scripture to make everyone forget.
False teachers often cloak error in a sea of truth. That’s how they disarm discernment.
Contrast this with someone like Megan Basham — who, when she got part of the story wrong, immediately said: “I was mistaken. I apologize.”
Why is that so hard for our institutional leaders?
What This Reveals About Evangelical Leadership
This episode exposes something rotten:
- False teachers lie and double down.
- Cowards refuse to stand for truth.
- Careerists avoid repentance at all costs.
Meanwhile, ordinary Christians — and independent ministries like Protestia — are regularly more honest, more courageous, and more repentant than the so-called “leaders” of evangelicalism.
That should alarm everyone.
If our “shepherds” won’t repent when they are publicly wrong, what does that say about their claim to be led by the Holy Spirit?
Final Word
Have your criticisms of Trump. Fine.
But you do not get to lie.
You do not get to manufacture racism.
You do not get to bear false witness.
You do not get to smear a man with a hoax and call it “discernment.”
This ape-video fiasco is not a trivial culture-war spat.
It is a mirror — revealing who among us loves truth, who loves their reputation, and who loves their political tribe more than Christ.
