WASHINGTON — In a day marked by intense political firestorms and a rare White House retreat, President Donald Trump late Friday night sought to distance himself from a racist video posted to his Truth Social account, claiming he “just passed it on” without viewing its offensive conclusion.
The 62-second video, which primarily focused on debunked claims of 2020 election fraud, ended with a brief, AI-generated segment depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle. The imagery, long used by white supremacists to dehumanize Black people, sparked immediate condemnation from both sides of the aisle.
The “Fake Outrage” Defense
Earlier in the day, the White House took a defiant stance. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the mounting criticism as “fake outrage” from the media and political opponents. In a text to reporters and during briefings, Leavitt characterized the video as a “meme” that depicted the President as the “King of the Jungle” and Democratic leaders as characters from The Lion King.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt stated. However, after high-ranking Republicans, including Senator Tim Scott, called the post “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” the administration shifted tactics. By Friday afternoon, the post was deleted, with a White House official claiming it had been “erroneously” posted by a staffer.
Comments Aboard Air Force One
The narrative shifted again tonight as President Trump spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One. Contrary to the “staff error” explanation provided by his press office, the President admitted he had directed aides to share the clip because he “liked the beginning,” which featured election conspiracy theories he continues to champion.
“I liked the beginning. I saw it and just passed it on, and I guess probably nobody reviewed the end of it,” Trump told the press corps. When asked directly if he condemned the racist imagery at the end of the video, he replied, “Of course I do,” but he stopped short of offering an apology to the Obamas.
A Pattern of Rhetoric
The incident comes at a time of heightened racial tension following the administration’s recent comments regarding immigration and the federalization of elections. Critics, including Derrick Johnson of the NAACP, noted that this is not an isolated event, pointing to previous instances where the President shared inflammatory content.
“Donald Trump’s video is blatantly racist, disgusting, and utterly despicable,” Johnson said in a statement. “Voters are watching.” While the White House hopes to put the matter behind them by blaming a lack of vetting, the admission that the President personally ordered the post’s distribution has left the administration facing questions about its internal controls and its “frank” approach to social media.
Sources and Links
- The Guardian: Trump says he approved sharing video with racist images of Obamas but claims he didn’t see part ‘that people don’t like’
- The Hindu (via Reuters): White House deletes Trump’s racist post against Obamas, calls it staff error
- Associated Press (via TribLIVE): Trump says he won’t apologize for deleted racist post about Obamas
- Yahoo News (via CBC): Trump shares election conspiracy social media video with racist depiction of Obamas
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