WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump's social media post featuring a video that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes was removed by the White House on Friday after facing widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans. Trump later stated he "didn't see" the offensive imagery, claiming he only viewed the beginning of the video before it was posted to his Truth Social account.
The video, which amplified false claims about the 2020 presidential election, was initially defended by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who described it as an "internet meme video." However, the post was taken down after a White House official said a staffer "erroneously made the post." The move came after significant backlash, with lawmakers calling the footage "racist," "offensive," and "unacceptable."
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, was among those who urged the president to remove the video. "Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House," Scott wrote. Trump, speaking on Air Force One, said he only viewed the beginning of the video, which focused on alleged voter fraud. "I didn't see the whole thing," he said. "I guess during the end of it, there was some kind of a picture that people don't like. I wouldn't like it either, but I didn't see it." He suggested a staffer had posted the video without his knowledge.
In other news, the Pentagon announced on Friday that it was cutting ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships, and certificate programs with the Ivy League institution. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services."
Also on Friday, a federal appeals court endorsed the Trump administration's policy of holding many ICE detainees without bond hearings. A panel of judges at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the administration had properly reinterpreted an immigration law last year, disqualifying many unauthorized immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement from requesting release on bond.
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