Trump Says He Was Unaware of Racist Imagery in Video Shared on Social Media
Feb 7, 2026: US President Donald Trump has said he was unaware that a video shared on his social media account contained a racist clip depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The controversial imagery appeared at the end of a 62-second video that Trump reposted on his Truth Social account. The video largely focused on allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 US presidential election, claims that have previously been debunked. The post was later removed following widespread criticism.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said he had only watched the beginning of the video before it was posted by a staff member and did not know that it included offensive content. Asked whether he planned to apologise, Trump responded that he did not believe he had made a mistake.
“I didn’t see that part of the video,” he said, adding that he reviews large amounts of content daily and relies on staff to vet posts in full before publication.
The White House initially downplayed the controversy, describing the post as an “internet meme video” and urging critics to avoid what it called “fake outrage.”
However, after strong backlash from civil rights groups and members of both political parties, the video was deleted. A White House official later said the post had been shared “in error” by a staff member.
The clip appears to have originated from a post shared on X by a conservative meme creator last year. In addition to the Obamas, the video portrays several prominent Democratic figures as animals. The Obamas have not publicly commented on the incident.
The episode drew criticism from within Trump’s own party. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina described the clip as deeply offensive, while Representative Mike Lawler of New York said the post was wrong regardless of intent and should have been removed with an apology. Senator John Curtis of Utah also condemned the video, calling it “inexcusable.”
Civil rights leaders were more direct. NAACP President Derrick Johnson described the video as “disgusting” and accused Trump of using divisive content to distract from broader political challenges.
Several Democratic leaders, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also strongly criticised the president.
Trump later said the video was removed as soon as the offensive imagery was brought to his attention and acknowledged that it should not have been shared.
The controversy has renewed attention on Trump’s long-standing criticism of Barack Obama, including false claims made before Trump’s first presidency questioning Obama’s birthplace — allegations Trump later admitted were untrue.
