President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday afternoon that he did not apologize for the videos he and Michelle Obama published on social media, including an AI-generated clip of them dressed as monkeys. washington post Reported.
President Trump said he was unaware that the former US president and first lady were visible at the end of the video.
according to washington postAsked whether he would apologize for the post following Republican demands, the US president’s response was unambiguous. “No, I didn’t make a mistake,” President Trump said on his way to Palm Beach, Florida, over the weekend.
He further added, “I’ve seen thousands of things. And I saw the beginning of it. It was okay.”
Regarding Air Force One, President Trump claimed that he briefly viewed portions of the video before its release, but that he gave it to an unidentified official to post. When asked if he would fire the person responsible for the sharing act, the US president said he would not fire the staffer because they had not made any mistakes. guardian Reported.
“No, I saw the first part. It was really about voter fraud and machines. How twisted it is and how disgusting it is,” Trump said. “Then I passed it on to people. Usually they would see the whole thing, but maybe someone didn’t and they posted it. And we took it down.”
Clip of the Obama family dressed as monkeys
The clip was embedded in a one-minute video posted on Truth Social disputing the 2020 election results.
The video features a self-proclaimed cybersecurity expert who claims to have dismantled the machines used to tabulate votes and halted the counting in favor of former President Joe Biden.
A few seconds before the video ends, an AI-generated clip begins. “Tonight the Lion Sleeps” plays in the background, and an AI-generated monkey with Obama’s face dances in the frame.
The Obamas have yet to publicly address the presidential post.
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned President Trump’s actions via his social media newsroom account, writing, “Disgusting action by the president. All Republicans must condemn this. Now.”
White House dismisses allegation, later retracts
The White House initially dismissed claims that the video was racist, claiming the clip came from a long line of memes depicting Trump and Democratic politicians as characters from The Lion King.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement that the meme depicts President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as other characters in the movie. The longer video also shows former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris depicted as zebras.
“Stop the false outrage and report on what actually matters to the American people today,” she said.
The White House shifted responsibility late Friday, with U.S. officials claiming a staffer had posted the video in error and that it had been deleted.
