The White House initially defended the post, only to remove the video hours later, saying a staff member had shared it “by mistake,” Sky News reports.
The disputed clip appeared near the end of the video, which repeats debunked claims that his 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden, was stolen. In the two-second video, posted on Trump’s social network, the Obamas are shown as monkeys jumping to the beat of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” The video was removed about 12 hours after it was posted.
During the flight on the presidential plane Air Force One, Trump said that he “of course” condemned the racist parts of the video, but that he would not apologize. He also did not say whether he would fire the employee who posted the video.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump said, adding that he had not watched the entire video. “I watched the beginning. It was fine.”
He went on to explain: “I watched the first episode and it really dealt with voter fraud and the machines, how corrupt and disgusting it all is. Then I passed it on to people. They usually watch the whole thing. I guess someone didn’t and they posted it. We took the video down as soon as we found out.”
The announcement caused a wave of condemnation across the political spectrum. Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic rival in the 2024 presidential election, said: “No one believes this cover-up from the White House, especially since they initially defended the announcement. We all know who Donald Trump is and what he believes.”
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, accused the president of “disgusting behavior,” adding, “Absolutely every Republican must condemn this. Immediately.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote: “Racist. Vile. Disgusting. This is dangerous and a disgrace to our country – where are the Republicans in the Senate?” He called on Trump to apologize to the Obamas, calling them “two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, enviable man.”
Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser in the Obama White House, called Trump “a blot on our history.”
Before the video was removed, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt defended the post: “This is from an internet meme video that portrays President Trump as the king of the jungle and the Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report something that really matters to Americans.”
Trump has frequently attacked Obama throughout his career, including claims about his birthplace, claiming he was born in Kenya and unblemished for the presidency, although Obama released his birth certificate in 2011 and Trump acknowledged in 2016 that Obama was born in the United States.
(Vijesti.ba)
