Clyburn, who's from South Carolina and is a close ally of the president, offered his views in response to a question about Obama's re-election prospects next year.
"I think they're improving every day," Clyburn said. "I think the president has been a good president, a great commander in chief."
"You know, I'm 70 years old," he said. "And I can tell you; people don't like to deal with it, but the fact of the matter is, the president's problems are in large measure because of the color of his skin."
Clyburn described a recent racist image of Obama that received widespread news coverage.
"When he sees his face being put on a chimpanzee's body; do you think he didn't see that?" Clyburn said. "And I suspect they send the same faxes to his office they send to mine."
Clyburn said he agreed with the president's decision last month to release his long-form birth certificate from Hawaii. Obama responded in part to challenges from Donald Trump as the real estate tycoon eyed a presidential bid.
Clyburn has a close relationship with the president, who at 49 is young enough to be his son. The No. 3 House Democrat speaks regularly with Valerie Jarrett, a senior presidential adviser, and several former Clyburn aides hold senior White House posts.
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