Trump news at a glance: Trump creates distance, but no apology, after promoting racist video of ObamasNEWS | 07 February 2026Top Democrats erupted with fury on Friday and challenged more Republicans to respond to Donald Trump posting a racist video that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.
The clip appeared during one of the 79-year-old US president’s increasingly frequent late-night posting sprees to his Truth Social account, and shows the laughing faces of the former president and first lady superimposed on the bodies of primates in a jungle setting to The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader and New York congressman, in a post on X: “Why are GOP leaders like [Senate majority leader] John Thune continuing to stand by this sick individual? Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry.”
Only a few Republicans spoke out about the overtly racist video. Tim Scott, a South Carolina senator and the only Black Republican in that chamber, called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and called on the president to remove it.
It took 12 hours – during which time administration officials tried to brush off the outrage and defend Trump’s repost as “an internet meme video” – before the post was removed.
Multiple outlets cited a senior White House official saying the post was “erroneously” made by a White House staffer.
Trump weighed in from Air Force One later Friday, refusing to apologize and claiming that while he approved an aide sharing the video on his account, he didn’t see the part of the clip with the racist depiction of the Obamas.
Catching up? Here’s what happened Thursday 5 February.Author: Source
