President Donald Trump on Friday declined to apologize for an AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes that was posted to his Truth Social account before later being deleted.
Trump addressed the controversy during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One while traveling to Mar-a-Lago. Asked whether he planned to apologize for the post, Trump said he would not.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump told reporters.
The video was posted Thursday night and included baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, followed by a brief clip at the end showing the Obamas’ faces superimposed on the bodies of apes.
The post sparked immediate condemnation from members of Congress in both parties and media figures, who described it as racist.
During the gaggle, a reporter asked whether Trump would fire the staffer whom the White House later blamed for posting the video.
“No. I looked at it. I didn’t see the whole thing. I gave it to the people. They posted it,” Trump said.
Earlier Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the post, dismissing criticism as “fake outrage.”
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle,” Leavitt said in a statement.
President Trump says he will not fire the staffer who posted the video containing the Obama meme and he won’t apologize.
Good.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 7, 2026
Several hours later, the video was removed from Trump’s Truth Social account, and an unnamed White House official said the post was made in error by a staff member.
“A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” the official said.
Trump later defended his handling of the video, saying he focused on what he described as the beginning of the clip and did not review it in full.
“What I saw in the beginning was really, really strong,” Trump said.
“It was about fraudulent elections. Anytime I see that stuff, and when it’s credible, you put it up,” he added.
Trump said someone “missed a very small part” of the video at the end.
“That was a very strong truth,” he said, referring to claims about election fraud.
Trump became visibly agitated when a reporter compared his explanation to past criticism he has leveled at former President Joe Biden, whom Trump has repeatedly accused of being unaware of actions taken by his administration.
“I know what’s going on a hell of a lot better than you do,” Trump said.
He then launched into a broader defense of his presidency, citing economic performance and claiming the country would not exist if Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris had been elected.
Trump also responded to a question about whether the post could damage Republicans with Black voters.
He cited criminal justice reform and funding for historically Black colleges and universities, arguing that he had strong support among Black voters.
“I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time,” Trump said.
Trump claimed his administration delivered long-term funding for historically Black colleges and universities and said previous administrations failed to do so.
He reiterated that the video was posted by a staffer and said he merely shared content he believed focused on election issues.
“I didn’t do it,” Trump said. “This was done by somebody else.”
Trump said the video was a repost and that no one reviewed the final seconds before it was shared. He again characterized the election-related portion of the video as accurate.
“That was a very strong statement made about the fraudulent elections in a certain part of our country,” Trump said.
The White House has not announced any disciplinary action related to the post.
