WASHINGTON - The White House removed a video shared by former President Donald Trump on Friday that included a racist depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, a move that followed widespread condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans. The video, which amplified false claims about the 2020 presidential election, was taken down hours after it was initially defended by the White House. Trump later stated he "didn't see" the offensive imagery in the video.
The video, which was posted on Trump's social media account shortly before midnight on Thursday, was described as "racist," "offensive," and "unacceptable" by critics. A White House official said a staffer "erroneously made the post." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had initially defended the footage, calling it part of an "internet meme video."
Trump, speaking on Air Force One, said he only viewed the beginning of the video, which focused on alleged voter fraud. "I just looked at the first part," he said. "I didn't see the whole thing. 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 that a staffer had posted the video without his knowledge.
The video's removal came after significant backlash. Several Republican lawmakers publicly urged Trump to remove the video, including Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate. "Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House," Scott wrote.
In other news, a federal appeals court on Friday endorsed the Trump administration's policy of holding broad groups of immigration detainees without access to bond hearings. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, said the administration had properly reinterpreted an immigration law last year. Previously, immigrants who had lived in the U.S. unlawfully for years were generally eligible for bond hearings.
Also on Friday, the Pentagon announced it was cutting ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships, and certificate programs with the Ivy League institution. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services."
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