President Donald Trump said he will not apologize for a video he posted on Truth Social which depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
He also said Friday night aboard Air Force One he is “the least racist president you’ve had in a long time,” per Mediaite.
The president told reporters he will not apologize for the video, stating, “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”
Watch:
He also touted his popularity among Black voters.
“I’ve done great with Black voters,” Trump said. “They’ve been great to me, I’ve been great to them.”
“I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time, as far as I’m concerned,” he continued.
Watch:
The video which sparked criticism from both Republicans and Democrats was posted by Trump’s account on Thursday evening. The end shows an AI-generated clip of the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the bodies of apes.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday morning that people were making too much of the video,
An “Internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle,” dismissing critics as “fake outrage,” she said.
The post was taken down from Trump’s Truth Social account, and a White House staffer was blamed for making an “erroneous” post.
Trump said he did not post the video himself, stating, “What I saw in the beginning [of the video] was really, really strong. It was about fraudulent elections. Anytime I see that stuff, and when it’s credible, you put it up. But somebody slipped and missed a very small part… That was a very strong truth.”
Former Trump Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney talked to NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer and relayed that he “talked to several [GOP] House members that are just besides themselves” over the post and the president’s response.
“They don’t know how they’re going to handle it” during the 2026 midterms, he added.
