US President Donald Trump criticised but did not apologise for a video shared on his social media platform that portrayed former Democratic president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, a post that sparked swift bipartisan backlash for dehumanising people of African descent, reports RTE.
The White House initially defended the racist post yesterday before deleting it roughly 12 hours after it was published, reports RTE.
The one-minute video posted late on Thursday on Mr Trump’s Truth Social account repeated false claims that his defeat in the 2020 presidential election was due to fraud.
Near the end of the video, a short clip that appeared to be AI-generated showed dancing primates with the faces of the Obamas superimposed, reports RTE.
Speaking last night, Mr Trump told reporters that he had not viewed the entire video before a White House aide shared it on his account.
“I didn’t see the whole thing,” Mr Trump said. “I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is. Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t”, reports RTE.
When asked by reporters if he condemned the clip, Mr Trump said, “Of course I do.” He declined to apologise, adding, “I didn’t make a mistake. I mean, I give – I look at a lot – thousands of things”, reports RTE.
Mr Trump’s remarks came at the end of a day marked by conflicting explanations from within the White House. An administration spokesperson initially described the video as a harmless “internet meme”, before another official said it had been posted mistakenly and was removed, an unusual reversal for a White House known for staunchly defending Mr Trump.
Mr Trump, now serving his second term, has a record of sharing racist rhetoric. He previously promoted the false conspiracy theory that Mr Obama, who served as president from 2009 to 2017, was not born in the United States, reports RTE.
The post depicting the Obamas drew condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, including South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, a close Trump ally who is black.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Mr Scott said on X. “The President should remove it”, reports RTE.
Other Republican figures urged Mr Trump to apologise and remove the post. According to a source familiar with the matter, some also privately contacted the White House about the video.
Mark Burns, a black pastor and Trump ally who said he spoke with the president about the video yesterday, called for the staff member responsible to be dismissed, reports RTE.
For centuries, white supremacists have portrayed people of African descent as monkeys or apes as part of efforts to dehumanise and dominate black communities.
“Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history,” said Ben Rhodes, a former Obama aide, on X, reports RTE.
A spokesperson for the Obamas declined to comment.
According to a Trump adviser and a person familiar with White House procedures, only a small number of senior aides have direct access to Mr Trump’s social media accounts. Mr Trump and White House officials declined to identify the staff member who shared the video, reports RTE.
Before the post was removed yesterday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt defended it, dismissing the backlash as “fake outrage”.
Ms Leavitt said the clip came “from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King”. The video featured a song from the Disney musical, reports RTE.
As criticism intensified, a White House official confirmed the post had been taken down. “A White House staffer erroneously made the post,” the official said, reports RTE.
A Trump adviser said the president had not seen the video before it was uploaded late on Thursday and ordered it removed once he became aware of it. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mr Trump told reporters last night that the video included images at the end that “people don’t like”, reports RTE.
“I wouldn’t like it either,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Trump has long used social media as a tool to announce policy, comment on events and share content created by supporters with his nearly 12 million followers on Truth Social, a platform owned by Trump Media & Technology Group.
Thursday’s post raised concerns about the procedures governing Mr Trump’s social media activity, which can influence markets and provoke international adversaries, reports RTE.
Mr Trump has previously criticised his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for failing to tightly control presidential memoranda circulated under his name and signed using an “autopen”, reports RTE.
In December, Mr Trump described Somalis as “garbage” who should be expelled from the country. He has also referred to that and other developing nations as “sh**hole countries”, reports RTE.
Last year, he faced criticism for depicting House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is black, with a digitally added handlebar moustache and sombrero.
Civil rights advocates say Mr Trump’s language has grown increasingly bold, normalised and politically acceptable, reports RTE.
“Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” said Derrick Johnson, national president of the NAACP, a civil rights group, in an emailed statement. “Voters are watching and will remember this at the ballot box”, reports RTE.
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