Trump racist video: US President Donald Trump on Friday shared a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys in a jungle, which trended on social media. Although the post was later deleted, Trump refused to apologize for it. He claimed that he had not seen the final frames containing the offensive images and blamed a staff member for the mistake.
According to a CNN report, US President Donald Trump refused to apologize on Friday after sharing and later deleting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys in a jungle. He claimed that he had not seen the final frames containing the offensive images and blamed a staff member for the mistake.
Before Fox News and MAGA start with “He didn’t mean it,” or “He was making a joke,” let’s be very clear…
Trump depicting the Obamas as monkeys on Truth Social is BLATANT RACISM. https://t.co/akAm0g7qfT
— Matt (@nosoupforgeorge) February 6, 2026
Here’s what Trump said:
Trump said, “I didn’t see the whole thing.” “I saw the first part, and it was actually about voter fraud in the machines, how wrong it is, how disgusting it is. Then I gave it to people. Usually, they watch the whole thing. But I guess nobody did.”
The White House initially defended the post but removed it Friday morning, about 12 hours after it was published. When reporters later asked Trump if he condemned the video, he replied, “Of course I do.”
A White House official said that “a White House staff member accidentally posted it” and that it has been removed.
According to the CNN report, when asked directly whether he would apologize amid Republican demands, he refused. According to a Reuters report, the post drew criticism from both parties, including Republican Senator Tim Scott, a Black lawmaker and long-time Trump ally. Scott said on X, “I pray this is fake because this is the most racist thing I’ve seen from this White House.” “The president should take it down.”
Other Republican lawmakers urged him to apologize and delete the post. According to a source familiar with the matter, some Republican lawmakers also privately contacted the White House about the video, Reuters reported.
When asked about the demands for an apology from Republicans and others, Trump said, according to Reuters, “I didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, I put out, I see a lot of—thousands of things.”
Trump has a history of spreading racist rhetoric, including repeatedly promoting the false “birther” conspiracy theory that claimed former President Obama, who served from 2009 to 2017, was not born in the United States. Speaking at a prayer breakfast on Thursday, Trump called Obama “very bad” and “a terrible person who divided our country.” Before the post was deleted, Levitt had said it was “from an internet meme video that depicted President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.” The clip Trump shared also included a song used in the Disney musical.
White supremacists have for centuries depicted people of African descent as monkeys or apes, part of campaigns to dehumanize and subjugate the Black population. Former Obama aide Ben Rhodes said on X, “It will continue to infuriate Trump and his racist supporters that future Americans will embrace Obama as a beloved figure while reading about them as a stain on our history.”
Trump’s Racist Remarks on the Internet
Trump, now in his second term, has long used social media to announce policies, comment on current events, and share fan-generated content with his nearly 12 million followers on Truth Social, the platform owned by his Trump Media & Technology Group.
Thursday’s post raised questions about the processes governing Trump’s social media, which can influence markets and create international tensions.
A Black pastor and Trump supporter, Mark Burns, said on X that the president told him Friday that a staff member was responsible for the post, and Burns demanded that the individual be fired.
Trump has previously criticized his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, accusing him of failing to closely monitor presidential memorandums issued in his name and signed using an “autopen.”
In December, Trump called Somali people “garbage” and said they should be expelled from the country. He has also referred to that and other developing nations as “shithole countries.” Last year, he faced criticism for posting a picture of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is Black, with a mustache and a sombrero superimposed on him.
(With agency inputs)