Frank Rondel
President Donald Trump stated that he did not view the full video he shared on his social media account late Thursday, which included a racist animation depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with ape-like bodies, and indicated he would not apologize for the post, reports customreceipt.com with reference to ABC. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday evening, Trump explained that he only watched the initial portion of the video, which focused on false claims regarding the 2020 election. He said, “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. I just looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud.”
The video in question abruptly shows the Obamas’ faces on ape bodies, accompanied by the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” before returning to the election conspiracy footage. Trump stated that he did not see this segment and, when asked whether he would apologize, replied, “No, I didn’t make a mistake. I mean… I look at a lot of, thousands of, things, and I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.” Asked if he condemned the racist portion of the video, Trump responded, “Of course I do.”
The video was posted to Trump’s social media account at 11:44 p.m. ET on Thursday. Following backlash, the White House confirmed around noon Friday that the post had been removed. Representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment, although later that evening they posted messages on social media supporting Team USA at the Winter Olympics.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially described the video as an internet meme depicting Trump as “the King of the Jungle” and Democrats as characters from The Lion King, urging the media to “stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.” A White House official later clarified that a staffer mistakenly uploaded the video. Trump told reporters that he saw the video first, excluding the controversial portion, and then instructed his staff to post it.
The original meme had been shared in October by the Hardin County Republican Party of Kentucky, who removed it and apologized following backlash over its racist imagery. Trump’s repost only included visuals of the Obamas and drew condemnation from lawmakers. Republican Senator Tim Scott, the only Black senator in the Republican Party, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urged its removal. Trump later spoke with Scott by phone, with sources indicating the president acknowledged the staffer error and took the post down.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the president on social media, praising the Obamas and condemning Trump’s actions as bigotry. Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also demanded the post be deleted and an apology issued.
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