US President Donald Trump has refused to apologise for sharing a controversial video on social media depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a racist animation, claiming he did not view the offensive imagery before posting.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday that he only saw the opening segment of the video, which focused on false claims about the 2020 election, and was unaware of the offensive imagery at the end. “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,” Trump said. “I just, I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud.”
The video, posted late Thursday night, ends with the Obamas’ faces appearing on the bodies of apes while the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays, before returning to election conspiracy footage. When asked whether he would apologise, Trump rejected the idea, stating: “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.” Pressed on whether he condemned the racist section, he said, “Of course I do.” The clip was later removed, with the White House initially dismissing criticism and later attributing the post to a staffer error.