US President Donald Trump has said he does not regret sharing a social media video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, insisting he “didn’t make a mistake” and does not need to apologize.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump explained he did not watch the entire clip before it was posted to his Truth Social account. “I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in the machines,” he said. “Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn’t.”
When pressed on whether he condemned the racist imagery, Trump responded, “Of course I do.”
The video, which promoted baseless conspiracy theories about 2020 election fraud, included a segment substituting the Obamas with animated monkeys. It remained on Trump’s account for roughly 12 hours before being removed amid bipartisan criticism.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the post as an “internet meme” depicting Trump as the “King of the Jungle” and Democrats as Lion King characters, calling the backlash “fake outrage.” Hours later, the video was deleted.
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