Overview
- Trump told reporters he "didn't make a mistake," said he watched only the start of the clip focused on voter-fraud claims, and declined to apologize.
- The video, which depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, remained online for roughly 12 hours before the White House deleted it after initially dismissing criticism as "fake outrage."
- Republican Sen. Tim Scott labeled the post "the most racist thing" he has seen from the White House, with GOP Reps. Max Miller and Mike Turner also condemning it as others stayed silent.
- Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called for an unequivocal apology following the White House’s shifting explanations.
- Outlets reported the clip was AI-generated and traced to a pro-Trump account, intensifying scrutiny of contradictory statements from officials and the administration’s social-media controls.