U.S. President Donald Trump has removed a video from his Truth Social account that included a racist clip depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, following strong criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
The minute-long video, posted late Thursday, promoted false claims that Trump’s 2020 election loss was caused by voter fraud. At the end of the video was a brief, apparently AI-generated clip showing dancing primates with the Obamas’ faces superimposed, set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The post remained online for about 12 hours before being deleted.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump condemned the clip but refused to apologize. He said he had not watched the entire video before it was posted by a White House staff member.
“I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump said. “I looked at the first part, and it was about voter fraud. Then I gave it to the people. I guess somebody didn’t check the rest.”
Asked directly if he condemned the depiction, Trump said, “Of course I do,” but added, “I didn’t make a mistake.”
The White House initially defended the post, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the backlash “fake outrage” and describing the video as an “internet meme.” As criticism intensified, a White House official later said the video had been posted in error by a staffer and was removed at the president’s direction.
The post drew swift condemnation from lawmakers, including members of Trump’s own party. Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, a close ally of Trump, called the video “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and urged its removal.
Other Republicans, including Representative Mike Lawler of New York and Senator John Curtis of Utah, said the video was offensive and should never have been posted. Several lawmakers privately contacted the White House to express concern, according to people familiar with the matter.
Civil rights groups also denounced the post. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, called it “blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” warning that voters would remember such actions.
Racist caricatures comparing Black people to apes have been used for centuries to dehumanize people of African descent. Critics said the video crossed a clear moral line, regardless of intent.
The incident has raised fresh questions about oversight of Trump’s social media accounts, which he frequently uses to share policy views, political attacks and supporter-generated content with nearly 12 million followers. Critics note that such posts can have wide political and social consequences.
Trump has a long history of promoting racist rhetoric, including his past promotion of the false “birther” conspiracy questioning Obama’s U.S. citizenship.
