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. The controversial video, which amplified false claims about the 2020 presidential election, drew swift condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans. Simultaneously, the Pentagon announced it was cutting ties with Harvard University, and a federal appeals court endorsed the Trump administration's policy of holding many ICE detainees without bond hearings.
The video, which was shared on Trump's social media account, included footage that portrayed the Obamas in a derogatory manner. A White House official stated that a staffer "erroneously made the post," which was subsequently taken down. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had initially defended the video, describing it as part of an "internet meme video." However, the post was removed after facing widespread criticism.
Trump, speaking on Air Force One, claimed he "didn't see" the offensive imagery. "I just looked at the first part," he said, noting that the majority of the video focused on alleged voter fraud. "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.
Republican lawmakers, including Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, 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 it was ending all military training, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard University. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services." This decision marks the latest development in the Trump administration's ongoing dispute with the university.
Additionally, a federal appeals court endorsed the Trump administration's policy of holding broad groups of immigration 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, preventing many unauthorized immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement from requesting release on bond. Previously, immigrants who had lived in the U.S. unlawfully for years were generally eligible for bond hearings.
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