US President Donald Trump has declined to apologize after briefly sharing a racist, AI-generated video that depicted former president Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, saying he did “nothing wrong” and blaming a White House aide for posting the offensive content.
The video, which circulated on Trump’s Truth Social account for nearly 12 hours before being removed, sparked widespread bipartisan condemnation. It featured digitally altered images of the Obamas overlaid on ape bodies in a jungle setting and repeated unsubstantiated allegations that Dominion Voting Systems helped rig the 2020 presidential election.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump acknowledged that he had watched part of the video before it was shared, contradicting earlier White House claims that the post was the result of an internal mistake.
“I didn’t watch the whole thing,” Trump said. “I saw the first part, which talked about voter fraud and corrupt voting machines, and I shared it. Usually people check everything, but I guess someone didn’t.”
Despite mounting criticism, Trump dismissed calls for an apology. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “I look at thousands of things.”
The video was posted late Thursday night and went viral before being taken down. Trump later said it was removed “as soon as we found out about it,” though critics noted it had already spread widely online.
Along with the racially offensive imagery, the video used the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight and promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election—claims that have been repeatedly rejected by courts and election officials.
After the backlash intensified, a White House official told NBC News that “a staffer posted the video in error” and confirmed it had been removed. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially described the clip as an “internet meme video” before the administration reversed course and deleted it.
Republicans Join Democrats in Condemning Video
The video drew sharp criticism not only from Democrats but also from prominent Republicans, including Trump allies.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, called the video racist and urged its immediate removal. “I’m hoping it was a hoax because it’s the most racist thing this White House has ever done,” Scott wrote on X. “The President should take it down.”
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine echoed the criticism, reposting Scott’s message and calling the video “terrible.”
New York Congressman Mike Lawler, one of the most vulnerable Republicans in congress, also condemned the post. “The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive—whether intentional or a mistake—and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered,” he said.
The controversy comes at a sensitive moment for Trump as he campaigns for reelection, reigniting concerns over race, misinformation, and the role of Social Media in US Politics.
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