'I Didn't Make a Mistake': Trump Declines to Apologize for Racist Video of Obamas [View all]
Source: New York Times
‘I Didn’t Make a Mistake’: Trump Declines to Apologize for Racist Video of Obamas
The video clip that President Trump posted in a late-night flurry of social media activity caused an unusually strong and public outcry from members of his own party.
The decision to delete the link from his Truth Social account was an unusual walk-back by President Trump. Kenny Holston/The New York Times
By Erica L. GreenIsabella Kwai and Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs reported from Washington, and Isabella Kwai from London.
Feb. 6, 2026
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President Trump posted a blatantly racist video clip portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, but he insisted he had nothing to apologize for even after he deleted the video following an outcry.
The clip, set to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” was spliced near the end of a 62-second video that promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and was among a flurry of links posted by Mr. Trump late Thursday night. It was the latest in a pattern by Mr. Trump of promoting offensive imagery and slurs about Black Americans and others.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, Mr. Trump said he only saw the beginning of the video. “I just looked at the first part, it was about voter fraud in some place, Georgia,” Mr. Trump said. “I didn’t see the whole thing.”
He then tried to deflect blame, suggesting he had given the link to someone else to post. “I gave it to the people, generally they’d look at the whole thing but I guess somebody didn’t,” he told reporters. ... Still, Mr. Trump offered no contrition when pressed. “No, I didn’t make a mistake,” he said.
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Reporting was contributed by Tyler Pager, Dylan Freedman, Robert Jimison and Katie Rogers from Washington.
Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 7, 2026, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Posts, Then Erases, Racist Video of Obamas. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/us/politics/trump-obamas-video-apes-truth-social.html
https://www.nytimes.com/es/2026/02/06/espanol/estados-unidos/trump-obama-video-racista.html
https://www.nytimes.com/by/erica-l-green
https://www.nytimes.com/by/isabella-kwai
https://www.nytimes.com/by/zolan-kanno-youngs
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