WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump deleted a video from his Truth Social account that briefly depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama with their faces digitally superimposed onto apes, according to a White House spokesperson on Friday.
The spokesperson said the video was posted by a White House staff member and did not reflect an intentional message from the president. The post was removed after drawing criticism online.
The statement did not identify the staff member involved but said the post was inconsistent with internal communications protocols.
The video prompted criticism from political opponents and media commentators, with some Republicans publicly describing the post as a mistake.
As The Hill reports, Sen. Tim Scott, a staunch Trump ally and the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, criticized the post in no uncertain terms:
Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the only Black Republican senator, on Friday sharply rebuked President Trump for posting a clip depicting former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, saying it’s “the most racist thing” he’s seen from the administration.
Scott, a Trump ally, responded to a news report that Trump “posted a video featuring the Obamas as monkeys on Truth Social” and which included a still image of the Obamas from the video Trump shared.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott said about the video in a post on the social platform X.
“The President should remove it,” the senator added.
As of Friday afternoon, the post had been removed from Truth Social. The White House did not provide additional details on internal reviews or changes to procedures intended to prevent similar incidents.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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