Trump Refuses To Apologize After ‘Racist Obama’ AI Video

President Donald J. Trump on Friday refused to bow to mounting media and political pressure after an AI-generated video briefly appeared on his Truth Social account, making clear he would not apologize for a post he says was shared without his full review and centered on legitimate concerns about election integrity.

Speaking to reporters during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Mar-a-Lago, President Trump dismissed calls for contrition, pushing back forcefully against what he characterized as manufactured outrage.

“No, I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump told reporters when asked if he intended to apologize.

The video, posted late Thursday and later removed, circulated long-running claims regarding irregularities in the 2020 election—an issue Trump has consistently argued deserves serious scrutiny. A brief segment at the end of the clip included an offensive visual depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, prompting predictable condemnation from establishment media figures and lawmakers in both parties, who labeled the imagery racist.

When questioned about whether any White House staffer would be fired over the post, Trump rejected the premise entirely.

“No. I looked at it. I didn’t see the whole thing. I gave it to the people. They posted it,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially brushed aside the criticism earlier in the day, framing the backlash as performative and politically motivated.

“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle,” Leavitt said in a statement, calling the response “fake outrage.”

Several hours later, the video was taken down, with an unnamed White House official clarifying that the post had been shared in error.

“A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” the official said.

President Trump later explained that his attention was focused on the core message of the clip—election fraud claims he continues to say are credible and ignored by political elites.

“What I saw in the beginning was really, really strong,” Trump said.

“It was about fraudulent elections. Anytime I see that stuff, and when it’s credible, you put it up,” he added.

According to Trump, the objectionable portion at the end of the video went unnoticed.

“Someone missed a very small part,” he said.

“That was a very strong truth,” Trump added, referring again to the election-related claims.

Tensions flared when a reporter attempted to compare Trump’s explanation to criticisms he has previously leveled against former President Joe Biden, whom Trump has accused of being detached from decisions made under his administration.

“I know what’s going on a hell of a lot better than you do,” Trump shot back.

The president then pivoted to a broader defense of his record, pointing to economic gains under his leadership and warning that the country would not have survived had Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris prevailed.

Addressing questions about potential political fallout among Black voters, Trump cited his administration’s achievements on criminal justice reform and historic funding for historically Black colleges and universities, contrasting them with what he described as failures by prior administrations.

“I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time,” Trump said.

Trump emphasized that his administration secured long-term HBCU funding after years of empty promises from Washington insiders and reiterated that he did not personally post the video.

“I didn’t do it,” Trump said. “This was done by somebody else.”

He again stressed that the post was a repost and that the election-related message was the reason it was shared.

“That was a very strong statement made about the fraudulent elections in a certain part of our country,” Trump said.

As of Friday, the White House has announced no disciplinary action related to the incident, signaling that the administration is unwilling to validate what many conservatives view as another example of selective outrage designed to distract from unresolved questions about election integrity.