Obama leads tributes to 'true giant' Jesse Jackson as civil rights leader dies aged 84

The US's first African-American president said he will always be "grateful" for Rev. Jackson's service.

The long-time civil rights activist and two-time presidential candidate died at the age of 84, his family confirmed on Tuesday.

Obama said he has the Reverend to thank for laying the foundations for his own presidential run, adding that he and his wife Michelle Obama "stand on his shoulders".

"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant, the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

"For more than 60 years, Reverend Jackson helped lead some of the most significant movements for change in human history," Obama said.

He added: "From organising boycotts and sit-ins, to registering millions of voters, to advocating for freedom and democracy around the world, he was relentless in his belief that we are all children of God, deserving of dignity and respect.

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"Reverend Jackson also created opportunities for generations of African-Americans and inspired countless more, including us. Michelle got her first glimpse of political organising at the Jacksons' kitchen table when she was a teenager.

"And in his two historic runs for president, he laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land.

"Michelle and I will always be grateful for Jesse's lifetime of service, and the friendship our families share. We stood on his shoulders. We send our deepest condolences to the Jackson family and everyone in Chicago and beyond who knew and loved him."

It comes after Donald Trump used his tribute to take a further swipe at Obama and the Democrats.

President Trump issued a personal statement on social media describing Jackson as a "good man" with "lots of personality," before going on to take a swipe at his rivals.

He claimed that Jackson, who ran twice for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, "could not stand" Obama.

Trump also claimed Obama failed to acknowledge or give credit to Jackson for having "much to do" with his presidential win in 2008.

He wrote: "Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him. He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgement or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand."

Trump's tribute, posted on Truth Social, also boasted that he helped sign criminal justice reform into law during his first administration as a favour to Jackson.

The latest swipe at Obama comes after his office posted an AI-generated video that depicted the former president and first lady Michelle Obama as apes.

The clip, which was posted onto the US president's own social media network, showed the faces of the former American leader and his wife on the bodies of the animals.

When their faces come into shot, the song 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' can be heard playing in the background.

When asked about the video while onboard Air Force One last week, Trump said that "of course" he condemned the racist parts of the video, but told reporters he would not apologise.

The White House previously confirmed that a junior staffer was responsible.

Appearing to break his silence on the matter, Obama told liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen that the tone of political discourse "has devolved to a level of cruelty that we haven't seen before."

Trump's tribute to Jackson added: "I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and street smarts.

"He was very gregarious - Someone who truly loved people! Despite the fact that I am falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.

"I provided office space for him and his Rainbow Coalition, for years, in the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street; Responded to his request for help in getting CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM passed and signed, when no other President would even try."

Jackson's cause of death was not immediately given, and his family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

In 2017, the renowned civil rights leader revealed he had Parkinson's. Last November, he was hospitalised in Chicago for rare brain disease, progressive supranuclear palsy.

Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and rose to prominence in the civil rights era, participating in demonstrations alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.