WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump removed a racist video he had posted on social media late Thursday night that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. However, Trump said that he would not apologize for posting the video.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday evening, Trump said he only saw the first part of the now-deleted video that focused on debunked claims about the 2020 election.
“I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of picture people don’t like. I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it,” Trump said. “I just, I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud.”
At the end of the video, it flashed to a clip of the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the heads of cartoon apes as the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens played in the background.
Trump was asked twice if he would apologize to the Obamas for the post and he said no.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake,” he said. “I mean … I look at a lot of, thousands of, things, and I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.”
Speaking to reporters Friday night, Trump said “of course” he condemns the racist parts of the video, but he did not call the video itself racist.
On Friday morning, the White House initially defended the post, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing the content as part of an “internet meme video” likening the president to the “King of the Jungle” and urging critics to focus on other news.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” she said.
But by about noon Friday, the White House said the post had been removed from Trump’s feed. A White House official told FWRD AXIS News that a staffer “erroneously made the post,” though it was not immediately clear whether Trump himself had reviewed the full content before it was shared.
Trump did not directly respond Friday night when asked which staffer sent it and if he was going to fire that person.
“I looked in the first part and it was really about voter fraud in, and the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is,” Trump said. “Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they’d look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t, and they posted,” Trump said.
“We took it down as soon as we found out about it,” he added.
The imagery drew immediate criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, including some of Trump’s own allies.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only Black Republican in the Senate, called the video “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urged its removal.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the depiction was offensive and urged all Republicans to denounce the post. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) labeled the imagery “racist” and “vile,” saying Trump should apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama.
Other Republicans, including Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Lawler, also publicly called for the post to be taken down and for an apology.
“Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, envious man,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D N.Y.) said.
The Obamas have not publicly commented on the post, but later Friday night, they did make their first comments since the incident — wishing Team USA good luck at the Winter Olympics in a social media post.
