Late Thursday night on Truth Social, President Donald Trump posted a video about alleged 2020 election fraud, which cut to an edited video of former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama, with their heads pasted on ape bodies.
The video quickly drew outrage from Republicans and Democrats alike for its racist depiction of the Obamas.
Friday morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the video “is from an internet meme depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.” She added, “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
Then several hours later, a senior White House official told CNN, “A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down.”
Many of Trump’s allies, including Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., criticized the post.
Scott posted Friday morning, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., similarly asked the president to delete the post and apologize, “whether intentional or a mistake.”
Utah Sen. John Curtis also addressed the post Friday afternoon in an X post. “The post was blatantly racist and inexcusable. It should never have been posted or left published for so long,” he wrote.
Utah Republican Rep. Mike Kennedy also weighed in Friday.
“I’m glad the recent Truth Social post was taken down,” he said of Trump’s post. “It was completely inappropriate and unacceptable. Our national discourse should reflect prudence and professionalism. This kind of imagery does not move the country forward. We should learn from this and focus on the work ahead.”
Utah Rep. Burgess Owens: ‘I know President Trump’s heart’
When asked about the video after it was taken down, Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, told the Deseret News, “We all make mistakes.”
“I know President Trump’s heart. President Trump cares about everyone, particularly those who are having a hard time,” he said.
Owens continued, “All the policies he has right now are for our kids, are for the safety of our communities, particularly our at-risk communities. So I think we should give everyone a little space.”
“We make mistakes. I put out a couple posts I wish I could pull back. We all do that, but he’s a good man with a good heart, and it’s obvious in the policies he’s put together,” he told the Deseret News on Friday morning.
Later in the day, he posted another response on X to the president’s post.
“I’m aware of the Truth Social post that circulated earlier. The imagery was wildly offensive and inappropriate, and as a Black man, I find it especially troubling,” he said. “It never should have been shared or even created, and I’m glad it has been taken down. Reports indicate it may have been posted in error by a staff member, but regardless, we all have a responsibility to use care and good judgment with the content we produce and distribute.”