Share and Follow
In a recent development, former President Donald Trump addressed the controversy surrounding a racially insensitive video that was briefly shared on his social media account. The video, which depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, was swiftly deleted. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Palm Beach, Florida, Trump stated he “of course” condemns the offensive video but refused to issue an apology.
Trump explained his actions, claiming he only viewed the initial portion of the video, which focused on allegations of voter fraud in Georgia related to the 2020 election. He insisted he was unaware of the offensive content present later in the video. “Just looked at the first part, it was about voter fraud, some place, Georgia, there was a lot of voter fraud, 2020 voter fraud, and I didn’t see the whole thing,” he remarked, attributing the oversight to someone else who “didn’t see the whole video” before it was posted.
Pressed further on whether he denounces the racist segment of the video, Trump affirmed, “Of course, I do.” Yet, he stood firm on his decision not to apologize, arguing that he “didn’t make a mistake” by sharing the video initially. He reiterated that the beginning of the video seemed acceptable, stating, “I saw the beginning of it and it was fine.”
Trump attempted to rationalize the situation, suggesting that the video’s conclusion, which included the offensive imagery, was unexpected. “Nobody knew that that was at the end,” he commented. He suggested that had the full content been reviewed, it would have likely been removed sooner. He described the video as a parody of ‘The Lion King,’ noting, “a lot of people were covered in different positions.” This explanation, however, did little to quell the backlash against the post.
“Nobody knew that that was at the end,” he said. “If they would have looked they would have seen it and probably they would have had the sense to take it down. But that was a take-off of ‘The Lion King’ and a lot of people were covered in different positions.”
The minute-long video focused on the unsubstantiated voting fraud theory that claims there were “anomalies” with the results of the 2020 election. Trump has frequently claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 election was rigged against him and favored former President Biden.
Trump is depicted as a lion while several prominent elected Democrats, including Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are depicted as animals, all while “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” from “The Lion King” plays in the background.
The Obamas appear toward the end of the video with their heads superimposed on the bodies of apes with their mouths open and their heads bouncing to the song.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the video, calling it an “internet meme” and telling people to “stop the fake outrage.”
The pushback escalated throughout the day, with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only Black Republican senator, calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and demanding the video be taken down.
Trump confirmed to reporters that he spoke with Scott, who he said is “a great guy. He understood that 100 percent.”
A White House official told The Hill after the post was removed that a staffer “erroneously made the post.”
Other Republican lawmakers also condemned the video and called for it to be taken down, including Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).
“I do not feel the need to respond to every inflammatory statement made by the White House,” Rep. Mike Turner said on the social platform X. “However, the release of racist images of former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama is offensive, heart breaking, and unacceptable. President Trump should apologize.”
Democrats and members of their caucus also slammed the video. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a video shared on Instagram that the Truth Social video was posted “intentionally.”
“F— Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior,” Jeffries said. “This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder.”