Posted late Thursday night on Trump’s account, the video portrayed the Obamas as apes and was widely condemned as offensive and dehumanising.
United States President Donald Trump has declined to apologise after a racist, AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as apes was shared on his official Truth Social account, triggering widespread condemnation across the political spectrum.
The controversial clip, which appeared on Trump’s account late Thursday night, portrayed the Obamas as apes and was widely criticised as offensive and dehumanising. According to reports, it remained online for nearly 12 hours before being deleted, prompting outrage from Democrats, Republicans, civil rights groups and members of the public.
In a characteristically sarcastic post on Truth Social, Trump addressed the backlash without offering an apology. He claimed he had been contacted by “the family of Jane Goodall,” the renowned primatologist, who allegedly told him that “the apes are very upset that you compared them to the Obamas.”
“And I said, ‘I’ve never thought of it that way before,’” Trump wrote. “We don’t want to make the apes sad.”
Trump went on to trivialise the controversy by referencing famous apes such as Koko and Harambe, before concluding with a parody slogan — “We want to Make Apes Great Again” — adding that he had instructed aides to delete the post.
Despite later distancing himself from the video, Trump remained defiant when questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One. Asked whether he would apologise, he replied bluntly: “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”
He claimed he was unaware of the full content of the video when it was posted, blaming staff oversight. “If they would have looked, they would have seen it, and probably they would have had the sense to take it down,” he said.
“I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of a picture that people don’t like. I wouldn’t like it either, but I didn’t see it.”
While Trump said he condemned the content “of course,” critics dismissed his remarks as evasive and insincere.
The White House sought to limit the fallout, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt describing the backlash as “fake outrage.” A senior administration official later said a staff member had “erroneously made the post,” a claim that did little to quell criticism.
Democrats were scathing in their response. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Trump of deliberately sharing the video, calling it part of a broader pattern of racist behaviour.
“F**k Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior,” Jeffries said in a video posted on Instagram. “This guy is an unhinged bottom-feeder.”
Several Republicans also condemned the post. Senator Tim Scott described it as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” while Representative Brian Fitzpatrick called the incident “a grave failure of judgment.”
“There must be a clear and unequivocal apology,” Fitzpatrick said, warning that such conduct deepens divisions in an already polarised country.
The video was reportedly created by a pro-Trump meme account using artificial intelligence, renewing concerns about the use of AI-generated content to spread racist imagery and misinformation.
Trump’s refusal to apologise has further intensified debate over race, accountability and standards of conduct at the highest levels of power, with critics arguing the episode reflects a broader tolerance for extremist and dehumanising rhetoric within his political orbit.