‘Indefensible’: Black Trump allies grapple with fallout from racist video of Obamas

A number of Black conservatives with ties to President Donald Trump’s administration issued uncommon public rebukes after a video shared on the president’s social media platform late Thursday evening included a racist animation depicting former President Barack Obama and former first woman Michelle Obama with the our bodies of apes.

The video was later deleted, and the White Home mentioned it had been posted in error by a staffer. 

NAACP Nationwide President Derrick Johnson mentioned in an announcement Friday that the video was “blatantly racist, disgusting, and completely despicable.”

However the episode, which unfolded throughout Black Historical past Month, uncovered fault strains inside Trump-aligned Black conservatism, the place some expressed deep disappointment that the video was shared in any respect, whereas others defended the president and framed the controversy as an unlucky however human error.

Among the many critics was the Black Conservative Federation, a Trump aligned group that has maintained shut ties to the president and issued a uncommon vital assertion.

“Depicting Black public figures in a dehumanizing method, significantly imagery traditionally used to demean Black People, is unacceptable, offensive, and indefensible,” the group mentioned in an announcement, earlier than additionally expressing its continued backing for Trump’s insurance policies.

Trump advised reporters he did not see the whole video earlier than it was shared on his social media platform late Thursday evening and instructed he will not apologize for it.

“I suppose in the course of the finish of it, there was some sort of image folks don’t love. I would not prefer it both, however I did not see it,” Trump mentioned. “I simply, I appeared on the first half, and it was actually about voter fraud.”

On the finish of the video, the Obamas’ faces seem abruptly on the our bodies of apes with out clarification with the track “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” enjoying over it, earlier than the clip ends again on imagery tied to election conspiracy video footage. The video was shared on the president’s account at 11:44 p.m. ET Thursday, and the White Home mentioned round midday Friday that it had been taken down.

Requested if he would apologize, Trump mentioned, “No, I did not make a mistake. I imply … I take a look at lots of, 1000’s of, issues, and I appeared at the start of it. It was high quality.” Requested if he condemned the racist portion of the video, Trump mentioned, “In fact I do.”

The Obamas declined to remark when ABC Information reached out to their representatives. The White Home didn’t instantly reply to ABC Information’ requests for remark.

White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially dismissed the backlash, saying early Friday that the clip got here from “an web meme video depicting President Trump because the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” and urged reporters to “cease the pretend outrage.”

Later Friday afternoon, a White Home official advised ABC Information {that a} “staffer erroneously made the publish.”

Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina, the longest serving Black senator in U.S. historical past and some of the outstanding Black conservatives in Washington, publicly criticized the publish.

“Praying it was pretend as a result of it’s probably the most racist factor I’ve seen out of this White Home,” Scott wrote on X. “The President ought to take away it.”

Trump later advised reporters he spoke with Scott by cellphone. In the course of the name, Trump mentioned he advised Scott the video had been posted by a staffer by mistake and could be taken down, in line with a supply accustomed to the dialog. The publish was later eliminated.

The Black Conservative Federation mentioned in its assertion, “This content material displays a critical lapse in judgment by a staffer accountable for digital posting and may by no means have been created, permitted, or shared.” The group added, “It’s exactly this sort of careless and lazy conduct that undermines credibility, distracts from substantive coverage progress, and damages belief with Black People who count on higher from these entrusted with public platforms.”

Whereas condemning the publish, the group sought to separate the incident from Trump’s coverage agenda and accomplishments from his first time period, citing the White Home’s HBCU funding; the Alternative Zones tax incentives for distressed communities, the First Step Act felony justice reform; and affordability initiatives as examples of what it described as Trump’s tangible advantages for Black communities.

Diante Johnson, the group’s founder and president, served on the Trump marketing campaign’s Black Voices for Trump advisory board in the course of the 2020 election. Trump headlined the group’s gala in February 2024.

Different Trump-aligned Black conservatives defended the president extra forcefully. CJ Pearson, a outstanding Black conservative influencer who beforehand labored on Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign, mentioned the publish seemed to be a mistake.

“This explicit clip was clearly posted in error and I am glad to see that it has since been deleted,” Pearson advised ABC Information. He added that the video didn’t change his view of Trump’s file with Black voters.

“There may be not a racist bone in President Trump’s physique and an by chance posted video clip doesn’t diminish the truth that this President has executed extra for the Black neighborhood than some other President in American historical past,” he added.

Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds’ staff referred to as the White Home Friday concerning the publish, an official together with his gubernatorial marketing campaign confirmed to ABC Information.

“Crew Byron Donalds referred to as the White Home and realized {that a} staffer had let POTUS down,” the marketing campaign official mentioned in an announcement.

Pierre Wilson, a senior Turning Level USA chief and founding father of TPUSA RISE, mentioned he wouldn’t have shared the video however believes the backlash has been overstated.

“I would not have shared the video myself, however I additionally assume the response to it’s wildly overblown,” Wilson mentioned. “I do know President Trump personally. He isn’t a racist. He is a person with a blunt humorousness and an equal alternative strategy in relation to satire and criticism.”

For a lot of Trump aligned Black conservatives, the episode underscored the complexity of supporting a president they credit score with coverage progress, whereas navigating moments that reignite racial tensions and lift questions on illustration, messaging and belief, particularly throughout Black Historical past Month.

ABC Information’ Justin Gomez, Isabella Murray, Hannah Demissie, Michelle Stoddart, Sarah Kolinovsky and Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.