United States President Donald Trump has declined to apologise for sharing a video on social media that portrayed former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, insisting he did not commit any wrongdoing.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, February 6, Trump said he was unaware that the offensive imagery appeared at the end of the clip when it was posted. Asked directly if he would apologise, Trump responded, “I didn’t make a mistake.”
The controversial video, set to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, was appended to the final seconds of a 62-second clip that Trump shared on his Truth Social account. The post primarily promoted unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The video was later deleted following public backlash.
Trump explained that he had only watched the opening portion of the video before it was uploaded by a member of his staff. “I look at thousands of things,” he said, adding that after previewing part of the clip, he handed it over to aides who typically review content in full before publication.
According to him, while he agreed with the video’s message on voter fraud, the offensive content would likely have been flagged if his staff had watched it in its entirety. “If they had looked at the whole thing, probably they would have had the sense to take it down,” Trump said, noting that the post was removed once the issue was brought to his attention.
Initially, the White House defended the post, describing it as an “internet meme video” and urging critics to “stop the fake outrage.” However, the administration later reversed course amid mounting criticism, including condemnation from members of Trump’s own party. A White House official subsequently said the video had been posted “erroneously” by a staffer.
Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina described the video as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” reflecting broader concerns about the use of imagery long associated with racist caricatures of Black people.
In addition to the Obamas, the video depicted several prominent Democratic figures as animals, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. President Joe Biden was also portrayed as an ape eating a banana.
As of the time of this report, Barack and Michelle Obama have not issued any public response to the incident.