President Donald Trump refused to apologize for a video he shared on Truth Social — and later deleted — on Friday that included a racist image depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.
During a press briefing Friday night outside the White House before Trump boarded Air Force One, reporters asked Trump about the post. He insisted that he was “the least racist president you’ve had in a long time,” and put the responsibility of the post on his staff.
“I looked at it. I saw it, and I only looked at the first part. It was about voter fraud,” Trump said. “I think at the end of it, there was some kind of people who didn’t like it, I don’t want it either, but I didn’t see it. I just looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is.”
He said that after someone from his staff saw the entire video, it was removed. When a reporter asked him about calls from other Republicans to apologize for the video, Trump refused to take responsibility.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake. I mean, if I look at many thousands of things, I looked at the beginning of it. It was good,” said Trump.
President Donald Trump refused to apologize for a racist video he shared on Truth Social and later deleted that showed former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys (AP)
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, a Republican, said he was “praying it was fake”.
“It’s the most racist thing I’ve seen from this White House. The President should take it down,” Scott, who is Black, said in a post on X before the video was deleted.
Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi, said in an X post that Trump “should take it down and apologize.”
Doug Heye, a Republican strategist, told the New York Times that condemnation by Republicans was unusual. He said the White House “realized what a colossal thing this was, and realized that because elected Republicans were pushing back directly on them for one of the rare times we’ve ever seen.”
When Trump was asked if he worried that sharing the racist video — even inadvertently — would damage his gains with minority voters in 2024. He said no and insisted he has done more for minority voters than any other president.
President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House on February 6 that he had ‘no message’ for Americans who were offended by a racist video he shared and later deleted on Truth Social. He later said his message was that the United States is “the hottest country in the world” (AP)
“We did criminal justice reform. I did historically Black colleges and universities. I got them funded. Nobody was – and that’s why I got a tremendous highest vote with black male voters,” he said. “And I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time.”
Another reported noting Trump admitted he hadn’t seen the entire racist video before sending his staff to share it on Truth Social. The report insinuated that it was similar to the absent leads Trump accused former President Joe Biden of during the 2024 election.
“You often criticize Joe Biden for not knowing what’s going on in his name, this racist video that was posted on your social media -” the reporter said before cutting off Trump.
“I know Biden a lot better than you do,” Trump told him. “You don’t know what’s going on. I know what’s going on. Joe Biden didn’t have a clue. But we know everything, and when you look at what’s happening in our economy and think about it, we’re many years ahead of schedule.”
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama were put in the news on February 6, 2026 after President Donald Trump shared and later deleted a video that contained a racist depiction of the couple. (Getty Images)
The Obamas typically ignore Trump’s attacks.
However, during a speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama made a rare acknowledgment of Trump’s comments.
“For years, Donald Trump has done everything he can to try to make people fear us,” she said. “See, his limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard working, highly educated and successful people who happened to be Black.”
Trump was later asked directly if he condemned the racist parts of the video, to which Trump replied: “Of course I do.”
When asked if he had a message for Americans who were offended by the video, Trump said “I really don’t have any message,” before insisting that the United States is “the hottest country anywhere in the world” right now.