Mike Tyson Rushed to Trump’s Side During the Obama Ape Video Firestorm — and His Reason Still Doesn’t Add Up
Mike Tyson has survived boos as another Black celebrity in the matrix of MAGA. But fans say this time he’s gone too far.
Amid outrage over President Donald Trump posting a video of Michelle and Barack Obama as apes, the former heavyweight boxer is doubling down on his support of the president.
With a career often shadowed by scandal, Tyson has reinvented himself, eventually emerging as a media darling alongside Trump and other controversial dignitaries.
However, he put himself back under fire, not in the ring but online, for supporting a man who claimed he was “the least racist president you’ve had in a long time” as a defense.
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One day before Trump’s post, Tyson appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime” to promote his commercial ad for the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which later aired during Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 8.
While discussing his health journey, the boxer-turned-podcast host was asked about his long-standing relationship with Trump, noting the two have known each other since the 1980s.
Tyson framed their relationship as personal and rooted in loyalty, crediting Trump for pushing him to fight in Atlantic City at a pivotal moment in his career.
“That was just a great idea when he decided to have me fight in Atlantic City … I just didn’t like Atlantic City back then. I just wasn’t an Atlantic City person, and he made me an Atlantic City person … I even moved there one time. I lived there for a few years,” Tyson said Friday night, according to Fox News. “I’m very grateful for that. I’m really grateful for that.”
Tyson: My whole experience with President Trump is that he’s just a genuine real person. That’s my experience with him. That’s why I’m for him a hundred percent because he’s never been nothing but for me. pic.twitter.com/GkcOOU8hwI
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 7, 2026
He emphasized gratitude over politics, claiming, “My whole experience with President Trump is that he’s just a genuine, real person. If he’s got your back, he’s with you 100 percent.”
Tyson made his position unmistakable.
“My experience with him? Yeah — that’s why I’m 100 percent for him, because he’s never been nothing but good to me.”
Clips from Tyson’s interview were reposted after Trump deleted his post about the Obamas following the White House’s poor excuse for his behavior. Followers of Onsite weighed in sharply on Instagram, many focusing less on the ad and more on Tyson’s decision to publicly defend Trump at such a volatile time.
“Tyson done got hit in the head one too many times,” one person wrote.
“He almoth bit his tongue saying that s—t,” another added, mocking the boxer’s lisp.
“Tyson doing anything for the money,” a third commenter said, a claim that gained traction following his recent return to the ring against 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who defeated the 59-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion by unanimous decision on Nov. 15, 2024.
Others went further.
“CANCELLED!!!! NEXT!!!???????” one person wrote.
Not all reactions were hostile. One person said, “To be fair Trump was one of the only people who supported Mike publicly during his r-pe trial.”
Mike Tyson and Donald Trump have always supported each other 🤝 pic.twitter.com/3erzLpUfYh
— FreeThinkerFitness (@FreeThinkerFit) February 7, 2026
Trump and Tyson have often supported and defended each other over the years through similar court cases for accusations from victimized women, including Tyson’s infamous 1992 trial. But the timing around Trump’s admission that he posted the racist video featuring the Obamas made the defense especially charged as some suspect he was doing damage control before the fire.
Even within Trump’s own party, the video drew condemnation. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, one of Trump’s most prominent Black allies, publicly urged its removal.
Scott’s response stood out, particularly given his past remarks downplaying systemic racism, leading critics to question whether his condemnation marked a turning point or a carefully measured exception.
Tyson, meanwhile, did not address the video directly.
Instead, he continued to center his message on getting in shape and personal experiences with the president.
In the Super Bowl ad, he speaks openly about unhealthy eating, the loss of his sister to a heart attack in 1990, and a period of his life when he says he was overeating and “wanted to kill myself.”
Online, instead, the focus has hardened around what Tyson’s defense came to represent — a visible show of loyalty to Trump amidst yet another instance of bigotry resurfacing.
