Trump refuses apology for racist Obama video on social media
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Washington: US President Donald Trump refused Friday to apologize for a racist video posted to his Truth Social account, which depicted Barack and Michelle Obama with ape bodies, claiming he only approved the initial segment before it was deleted.
The offensive clip surfaced during one of Trump's late-night posting sprees on Thursday night. It featured the former first couple's laughing faces superimposed on primates in a jungle, set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," capping a minute-long repost from Patriot News Outlet amplifying Trump's baseless 2020 election claims.
Trump acknowledged directing aides to share it but distanced himself from the end. “I just looked at the first part. I didn’t see the whole thing,” he told reporters. “We took it down as soon as we found out.” Pressed on an apology, even as some Republicans urged one, he bristled: “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”
Only a handful of Republicans condemned the post by mid-morning ET, despite about 5,600 likes and bipartisan outrage over the racist trope targeting America's first Black president and first lady. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the Senate's sole Black Republican, posted on X: “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
New York Rep. Mike Lawler added: “The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive – whether intentional or a mistake – and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered.” GOP congressional leaders like Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson stayed silent, drawing fire from Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “disgusting bigotry,” praising the Obamas as “brilliant, compassionate patriots” while slamming Trump as a “vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom demanded: “Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned: “Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country – where are Senate Republicans?”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt first defended it as a "Lion King" meme portraying Trump as jungle king and Democrats as animals, urging focus on real issues. The post vanished midday, with staff blamed, though Trump undercut that, confirming his approval. Aide Natalie Harp reportedly manages his account.
The NAACP blasted it as “blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” with President Derrick Johnson tying it to distractions from Epstein files and economic woes: “Voters are watching and will remember this at the ballot box.”
This incident underscores Trump's second-term pattern of inflammatory rhetoric targeting minorities and immigrants, with minimal intra-party pushback. The video repost centered disproven Dominion Voting Systems claims; the firm settled a $787.5m defamation suit against Fox News in 2023.