Trump says racist video was posted “in error” as press secretary defends it, fueling bipartisan backlash

President Donald Trump is facing intensifying bipartisan criticism after sharing a video on social media that critics said portrayed former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes — a post the White House press secretary publicly defended even as Trump claimed it was shared “in error” but declined to apologize.

Donald Trump says the racist imagery of the Obamas was posted by a "staffer" but stopped short of apologizing

The video, which circulated online for 12 hours before being taken down, drew swift condemnation from civil rights organizations and Democratic leaders, as well as a smaller but notable number of Republicans. The backlash widened after Trump’s press secretary defiantly defended the post, rejecting accusations of racism and framing the outrage as politically motivated.

In remarks to reporters, the press secretary said the president did not personally create the video and suggested critics were “manufacturing outrage,” a defense that further inflamed criticism from lawmakers who said the issue was not authorship but amplification.

Trump, for his part, acknowledged that the video should not have been posted, saying it appeared on his account "by mistake". However, he stopped short of apologizing and declined to condemn the imagery itself, a refusal that critics said undermined his claim that the post was accidental.

“You don’t accidentally traffic in dehumanizing imagery and then refuse to apologize for it,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the U.S. House. “Leadership requires accountability, not excuses.”

Several Republicans also criticized the episode, focusing less on intent and more on the response. Sen. Mitt Romney called the president’s handling of the controversy “deeply troubling,” saying that refusing to apologize after acknowledging an error only compounded the harm.

Civil rights organizations said the White House’s posture — particularly the press secretary’s defense — reflected a broader unwillingness to confront racism directly. The NAACP said in a statement that the imagery invoked “one of the oldest and most offensive racist tropes in American history” and that dismissing concerns as political outrage “does real damage.”

The Obama family did not immediately comment, though allies described the incident as part of a long-running pattern in which Trump shares or amplifies inflammatory content and then minimizes responsibility. David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, said the president’s explanation “rings hollow when paired with defiance rather than remorse.”

The controversy has renewed scrutiny of how senior government officials respond when offensive content is shared from the president’s own platforms. Several lawmakers said the press secretary’s defense — rather than a clear repudiation — risked normalizing racist imagery in political discourse.

“This is not about who clicked ‘post,’” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “It’s about whether the president and his administration understand why this is wrong — and whether they’re willing to say so plainly.”