Washington, United States. President Donald Trump condemned but did not apologize for a video posted on his social media account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, drawing bipartisan criticism.
Video posted and later removed
The minute-long video shared on Trump’s Truth Social network late Thursday amplified false claims that his 2020 election defeat was the result of fraud. Near its end, the video included a brief, apparently AI-generated clip showing dancing primates with the Obamas’ heads superimposed.
The White House initially defended the post on Friday, then deleted it about 12 hours after it appeared.
Trump’s response to reporters
On Friday night, Trump told reporters he had not watched the entire video before a White House aide posted it to his account.
“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. Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t.”
Asked if he condemned the clip, Trump said, “Of course I do.” He declined to apologize, saying, “I didn’t make a mistake. I mean, I give – I look at a lot – thousands of things.”
White House messaging and broader context
Trump’s comments followed differing accounts from within the White House. An administration spokesperson initially described the video as a harmless “internet meme,” before another official said it had been posted in error and was removed.
Trump, in his second term, has a history of sharing racist rhetoric and long promoted the false conspiracy theory that Obama, president from 2009 to 2017, was not born in the United States.
Bipartisan criticism
The post drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, a close Trump ally who is Black.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott said on X. “The President should remove it.”
What steps, if any, should social media platforms take when political leaders share dehumanizing content?
