US President Donald Trump has condemned a racist video shared from his official Truth Social account depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, but insisted he would not issue an apology, saying he was unaware of the offensive content at the time it was posted.
The video, which circulated widely late Thursday before being taken down Friday morning, sparked immediate backlash across the political spectrum. It appeared within a longer clip promoting false conspiracy theories about voting machines used during the 2020 presidential election and remained online for roughly 12 hours before being removed.
Trump says he did not see the offensive portion
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he did not watch the full video before it was shared from his account. He explained that he had only viewed the opening segment, which focused on allegations of voter fraud, and delegated the rest to staff.
“I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump said, adding that he believed others had vetted the content before posting. When pressed on whether he would apologize, Trump replied flatly, “I didn’t make a mistake,” while also saying he condemned the imagery shown in the clip.
White House response evolves
The White House initially pushed back strongly against criticism. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the reaction as “fake outrage,” claiming the video was a meme portraying Trump as a lion and Democrats as animated characters, similar to figures from The Lion King.
Her statement included a link to a longer version of the video posted months earlier by a pro-Trump meme account. That full clip features several Democratic figures depicted as animals, with Trump portrayed as the dominant lion as the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight plays in the background.
Hours later, however, the video was removed. A White House official, speaking anonymously, said a staffer had mistakenly posted the clip and that it was taken down once the issue was brought to Trump’s attention. Another source said the president had not seen the video before it was published and ordered its removal as soon as he learned of the offensive imagery.
Bipartisan criticism erupts
The post drew sharp condemnation from lawmakers in both parties, including several Republicans. Senator Tim Scott, a close Trump ally, reacted with visible dismay, writing that he hoped the image was fake and calling it the most racist thing he had seen from the White House. He urged that the post be removed even before it was taken down.
Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican facing a competitive re-election campaign, also criticized the post, calling it offensive regardless of intent and saying it should have been deleted immediately with an apology.
Democrats and civil rights groups respond
Democratic leaders reacted swiftly and forcefully. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised the Obamas as exemplars of American leadership and condemned Trump in unusually harsh language, urging Republican leaders to publicly denounce the post.
Civil rights organizations also weighed in. The NAACP said the video was a stark reminder of how Trump and his supporters view Black Americans, noting that the incident occurred during Black History Month and vowing not to forget it during upcoming elections.
Other Democratic figures, including Gavin Newsom and Raja Krishnamoorthi, described the imagery as dehumanizing, disgraceful, and unworthy of the presidency.
Questions over content control and accountability
The episode has raised renewed questions about how content is vetted and posted from the president’s official social media accounts. The White House declined to answer follow-up questions about which staff member shared the video or how frequently such posts are reviewed internally.
The Obama Foundation did not comment publicly on the incident.
The video carried a watermark from a group calling itself Patriot News Outlet. When contacted, the group said it was unaware of the video being posted by Trump and could not answer questions without seeing the clip, distancing itself from the controversy.
Political implications ahead of midterms
Although the midterm elections are still months away, critics argue the incident could become a flashpoint in campaign messaging, particularly as Republicans work to defend narrow majorities in Congress. Trump’s refusal to apologize, even while condemning the content, has further fueled debate over responsibility, intent, and standards for presidential conduct in the digital age.
The controversy adds to a growing list of disputes over Trump’s use of social media, underscoring how quickly online content can escalate into a national political crisis.
