WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump's social media post featuring a racist depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes was removed by the White House on Friday, hours after it was initially defended. Trump later stated he "didn't see" the offensive imagery, claiming he only viewed the beginning of the video before it was posted. The incident drew swift condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.
The video, which amplified false claims about the 2020 presidential election, was shared on Trump's social media account shortly before midnight on Thursday. A White House official attributed the post to a staffer who "erroneously made the post." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the footage, describing it as part of an "internet meme video." However, the video was taken down following widespread criticism.
Trump, speaking on Air Force One, said he had only viewed the initial portion of the video, which focused on alleged voter fraud. "I didn't see the whole thing," he stated, adding, "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.
Republican lawmakers, including Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, publicly condemned the video. "Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House," Scott wrote. "The President should remove it."
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 said 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 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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