Trump deletes racist Obama video after outcry — Karoline Leavitt was the only Republican who loved it

President Trump deleted a blatantly racist video clip portraying Barack and Michelle Obama as apes after an outcry that included members of his own party, reports the New York Times.

The 62-second clip, set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," spliced in the Obamas depicted as apes near the end of a video promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The depiction perpetuates a racist trope used historically by slave traders and segregationists to dehumanize Black people and justify lynchings.

Before Trump deleted the video, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended it: "This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public."

Other Republicans did not share Leavitt's enthusiasm. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina — the Senate's only Black Republican and a close Trump ally — wrote on X that he hoped the post was fake "because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House. The President should remove it." Representative Mike Lawler of New York called it "wrong and incredibly offensive" and said Trump should apologize.

Across Trump's administration, racist images and slogans have become common on official sites. The White House, Labor Department, and Homeland Security Department have all promoted social media posts that echo white supremacist messaging, the Times notes. This video was just the one that was too racist even for Tim Scott, but not for Leavitt. What a sorry piece of work.

Previously:
• Donald Trump spews racism targeted at Obama in hate-filled speech
• Melania Trump pushed racist Obama 'birther' conspiracy
• Unhinged Trump shows he is very threatened by Michelle Obama