President Donald Trump condemned a racist video posted to his account but refused to apologise, as the White House first defended then deleted the post after bipartisan backlash.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump condemned but refused to apologise for a racist video posted to his social media account depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. The White House initially defended the post before deleting it 12 hours later amid swift bipartisan criticism.
The minute-long video, shared on Trump’s Truth Social network, amplified false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. It included a brief, apparently AI-generated clip of dancing primates with the Obamas’ heads superimposed.
Trump told reporters he had not watched the entire video before a staffer posted it. “I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump said. “I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is.”
READ MORE: Trump posts election conspiracy video with Obamas depicted as monkeys
Asked if he condemned the clip, Trump said, “Of course I do.” He declined to apologise, stating, “I didn’t make a mistake. I mean, I give – I look at a lot – thousands of things.”
The incident revealed competing narratives within the White House. A spokesperson first defended the video as a harmless “internet meme” before another official said it was posted in error and removed.
The post drew condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans. Republican Senator Tim Scott, a close Trump ally, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” on social media platform X.
Other Republican lawmakers called for an apology and for the post to be deleted. Some privately contacted the White House about the video, according to a source familiar with the matter.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage.” She described the video as “an internet meme depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.”
As criticism mounted, a White House official said the post was taken down. “A White House staffer erroneously made the post,” the official stated. A Trump adviser said the president ordered it removed once he saw it.
Trump has a history of promoting racist rhetoric. He long promoted the false “birther” conspiracy theory about Obama’s birthplace.
In recent months, Trump described Somalis as “garbage” and has referred to some developing nations with a vulgar term. He was also criticised last year for a doctored image of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Civil rights advocates say Trump’s rhetoric has become increasingly bold. “Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP.
The incident raises questions about protocols for Trump’s social media communications. Only a few senior aides have direct access to his account, according to sources.
