Trump refuses to apologise for deleted Obamas video: 'I didn’t make a mistake'
Trump deletes video of Obamas as apes after 12 hours; White House blames staffer
President Donald Trump sparked widespread condemnation on Friday after posting a video on Truth Social that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The clip, promoting false claims about the 2020 election, remained online for nearly 12 hours before being deleted.
Trump blames staff, denies seeing clip
According to CNN, speaking from Air Force One, Trump said he only watched the first portion of the video, which focused on alleged voter fraud, and did not see the frames showing the Obamas. “Generally, they'd look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t, and they posted. We took it down as soon as we found out about it,” he said.
Blames staffer for the post
Trump said he passed the video to his team, adding, “Generally, they'd look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t, and they posted. We took it down as soon as we found out about it.”
‘I didn’t make a mistake’
The president insisted a staffer was responsible and declined to apologise, saying, “I didn’t make a mistake. I mean, I look at thousands of things.” He did, however, condemn the offensive imagery: “Of course I do.”
An internet meme’
Most of the 62-second video pushed false claims of voter fraud, with a brief frame near the end showing the Obamas’ faces on jungle primates. The clip originated from a conservative meme portraying Trump as “King of the Jungle” and Democratic leaders, including Joe Biden, as animals.
Controversy sparks political storm
The video drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Democrat leaders labelled it “vile” and “disgusting bigotry,” while Republican Senator Tim Scott, a 2024 presidential contender, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Senator Roger Wicker said the post was “totally unacceptable” and urged Trump to apologise.
White House response
The White House initially dismissed the outrage, describing the clip as a meme video referencing “The Lion King,” before acknowledging a staffer posted it in error.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed early criticism as “fake outrage” and described the clip as “an internet meme.” By noon, the post was removed, with a Trump staffer taking responsibility.
No immediate comment from the Obamas
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional leaders demanded accountability, highlighting a pattern of divisive racial rhetoric from Trump, who previously pushed the “birther” conspiracy against Barack Obama.
AI and social media tactics
Trump has previously used AI-generated visuals and other hyper-realistic content on Truth Social, often to glorify himself or attack opponents. Critics say these posts reflect a broader pattern of inflaming racial tensions while undermining federal anti-discrimination programs.
With inputs from AFP
