President Donald Trump condemned a video shared on his social media account depicting former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, but did not apologize for the post, which drew swift, bipartisan criticism. The White House initially defended the video as an internet meme before deleting it and attributing the post to a staff error.
White House Response and Deletion
The minute-long video, shared on Trump’s Truth Social network late Thursday, amplified false claims of 2020 election fraud and included a brief, AI-generated clip of dancing primates with the Obamas’ heads superimposed. The White House first defended the post on Friday, with spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt describing it as a harmless “internet meme.” However, the post was deleted 12 hours after it appeared.
A White House official stated that a staffer had “erroneously” made the post. Trump said he had not watched the entire video before it was posted by a White House aide. “I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in the machines,” he said. He later stated, “I wouldn’t like it either,” referring to images at the end of the video.
History of Racist Rhetoric and Criticism
Trump has a history of sharing rhetoric considered racist, including previously promoting the false conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States. The post depicting the Obamas drew criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, a close Trump ally who is Black. Scott stated on X, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
Other Republican lawmakers called for an apology and deletion of the post, with some contacting the White House privately. Mark Burns, a Black pastor and Trump ally, called for the staff member responsible to be fired.
Civil rights advocates condemned the video. Derrick Johnson, national president of the NAACP, called it “blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable.”
Trump’s Social Media Use and Protocols
Trump frequently uses social media to share policy, comment on issues, and share fan-generated content with his nearly 12 million followers on Truth Social. Thursday’s post raised questions about the protocols surrounding his social media communications. Only a few senior aides have direct access to Trump’s account, according to a Trump advisor.
Trump has previously criticized Joe Biden for not tightly controlling presidential memoranda distributed under his name. In December, Trump described Somalis as “garbage” and referred to developing nations as “shithole countries.” He also faced criticism last year for depicting House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a superimposed mustache and sombrero.
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