President Donald Trump has defended himself after a viral video shared on his Truth Social account depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he didn’t see the final moments of the 62-second clip and blamed a staffer for including the offensive footage.
“I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of picture people don’t like. I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it. I just looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud,” he said.
According to BBC, the video, now deleted, primarily focused on Trump’s 2020 voter fraud claims.
The controversial section, set to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, appeared abruptly at the end before returning to election-related content.
Asked whether he would apologise, Trump told ABC News, “No, I didn’t make a mistake. I mean… I look at a lot of, thousands of, things, and I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine.”
The clip drew strong reactions online.
Republican Senator Tim Scott called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the backlash, saying, “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Neither Barack nor Michelle Obama has responded publicly.
On social media, reactions ranged from frustration to disbelief.
Instagram user Shi Dominique wrote, “Lord, we are patiently waiting you to show this man that you are bigger than it all.”
Another user, Calzne, added, “Not surprised at all. During Black History Month too.”