Trump Refuses to Apologise After Sharing Racist Video Depicting Obamas

President Donald Trump has come under renewed criticism after briefly sharing a social media video that included racist imagery portraying former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. Although the post was later deleted, Trump has insisted he will not apologise for the incident.

The video, which ran for about a minute, largely promoted false claims surrounding the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Near its conclusion, it abruptly switched to offensive, digitally altered images of the Obamas accompanied by the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, triggering widespread outrage once it circulated online.

Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One, Trump said he only viewed the opening portion of the clip before it was shared. He claimed the initial section focused on alleged election irregularities and that he passed it to aides for posting, assuming it had been fully reviewed.

According to Trump, the video was removed as soon as the offensive content was discovered. A White House official later confirmed that the post was shared in error by a staff member and taken down shortly before noon on Friday.

Despite acknowledging that the imagery was racist and inappropriate, Trump maintained that he did not make a mistake and therefore saw no reason to issue an apology. He said he condemned the offensive segment but argued that responsibility lay with those who posted the full video without proper screening.

The post sparked strong bipartisan condemnation. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina described it as deeply offensive, while other Republican lawmakers said the content was unacceptable and called for its immediate removal and an apology from the White House.

The controversy has drawn heightened attention because it occurred during Black History Month. It also adds to a series of past incidents in which Trump has shared manipulated or misleading online content targeting political opponents. Representatives for the Obamas have not commented publicly on the matter.