Twelve hours ago, US President Donald Trump stated he did not see the racist clip depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes in a social media video he shared, which included claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. The 62-second video, set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight, " ended with the offensive image and was subsequently removed. Trump said he only viewed the beginning before a staff member posted it and declined to apologize, insisting he "didn't make a mistake. " Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is Black, condemned the clip as "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. " Initially, the White House defended the video as an "internet meme" and urged critics to "stop the fake outrage, " but following strong backlash—including criticism from several Republicans—the post was deleted. White House officials admitted a staffer had "erroneously" made the post. The clip, reminiscent of racist caricatures equating Black people with monkeys, was originally from an October X post by conservative meme creator Xerias. The video also portrayed other Democrats, such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Joe Biden, as animals. The Obamas have not responded. Trump, on Air Force One, said he reviews thousands of items and shared the video because he approved its voter fraud message. He noted that had he or his staff watched the entire clip, they might have removed it sooner and insisted it was taken down promptly once the offensive content was identified. Criticism came from within Trump's party.

Senator Tim Scott called for its removal, Representative Mike Lawler labeled the post "wrong and incredibly offensive, " urging an apology, and Senator John Curtis called the video "blatantly racist and inexcusable, " criticizing the delay in removal. Florida Representative Byron Donalds contacted the White House after the posting and was told a staffer was responsible. The BBC sought clarification on how many have access to Trump's account and the posting approval process. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the clip as part of "an internet meme depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as Lion King characters, " dismissing outrage as "fake. " Derrick Johnson of the NAACP called the video "disgusting and utterly despicable, " accusing Trump of distracting from the Epstein case and economic issues. Ben Rhodes, former Obama aide, said future Americans would cherish the Obamas while regarding Trump as a stain on the country. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker labeled Trump a racist, and California Governor Gavin Newsom demanded Republicans denounce the behavior. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned Trump as a "vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder" in response to the video. Previously, Trump promoted the false "birther" conspiracy that Obama was born in Kenya, though he later acknowledged Obama was US-born.