President Donald Trump did not express remorse and defended the racist video he posted last week that depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
When asked by a reporter whether the staffer the White House claimed was responsible for the post on Trump’s Truth Social account had been fired or disciplined, Trump said no and stood by the post.
“That was a video…on voter fraud. A fairly long video. They had a little piece that had to do with ‘The Lion King,'” said the president, repeating a claim previously made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, despite there being no such apes in the Disney film. He added, “It’s been shown all over the place long before that was part of it, but that was a very strong piece on voter fraud.”
The president’s response is unlikely to quell outrage over the racist video which was ultimately removed from his Truth account.
“If Trump didn’t post the video himself, it should be a no-brainer to fire the staffer who posted and condemn the racist content pushed out from his own account,” Brandon Weathersby, a spokesperson for American Bridge 21st Century, told theGrio.
“What’s worse than Trump excusing hate from his supporters is his attacks on communities of color that foment hate and put people like Rep. Ilhan Omar in real danger. Trump knows exactly what he is doing. He amplifies racist lies, then pretends he has no responsibility for the violence and threats that follow.”
Weathersby added, “A leader who refuses to reject racism is encouraging it, and Trump has made that choice again and again.”
Trump’s latest remarks come days after he refused to apologize, as urged by some of his fellow Republicans like Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican serving in the U.S. Senate.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake…I look at thousands of things…and I looked at the beginning of it. It was fine,” said Trump. “I didn’t know about it. So, I mean, it went up. I really have no message.”
Trump’s defense of the racist video also comes a day after he posted a series of videos of himself with Black celebrities, seemingly trying to convey that he is not racist because of his proximity to high-profile figures in the community.
“Just because when he was a businessman and a member of our popular culture, and Black celebrities enjoyed hanging out with him, it doesn’t absolve him from his racism,” Democratic strategist Alencia Johnson told theGrio. “The reality is that a lot of the people in those videos actually distanced themselves from him once he became president and enacted all these dangerous policies on Black people, which really speaks to who he is.”
Yemisi Egbewole, former White House Chief of Staff to Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, told theGrio of the latest Trump posts: “Did he post this or a staffer? Either way, a compilation video of every Black person you’ve ever come in contact with is not damage control.”
