The Situation
On Thursday evening, February 5, 2026, President Trump published a statement containing a video that, in part, included images of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama being depicted as apes. The general theme of the video was election conspiracy theories, with politicians being depicted as jungle animals (Green, 2026).
Despite the video being widely condemned as racist, and President Trump being criticized by members of his own party (Fortinsky, 2026), The White House has strongly defended the publication, and President Trump has declined to apologize for the video’s contents and for its publication (Green, 2026).
“[President] Trump offered no contrition when pressed: ‘No, I didn’t make a mistake,’ he said.” (Green, 2026)
Approximately twelve hours after the statement and video were published, President Trump deleted them from publication–after they had been widely viewed and almost as widely condemned (Green, 2026).
The Disagreement
I disagree with President Trump posting the video, and I disagree with his declining to apologize for it. I also disagree with President Trump’s refusal to accept responsibility for the video’s contents and for its publication.
The video can be interpreted as divisive, as it is racist in content. It would be more appropriate and uniting for a sitting president to apologize for it, and to accept responsibility for it.
Desired Resolution
I recommend that President Trump apologize for the video, and for its publication. I recommend that President Trump accept responsibility for the video’s contents and for the mistake of its publication. I recommend that President Trump use the power and authority of his office to unite the country, including black people and non-racists, without further dividing the country by publishing content that can be viewed as excluding or insulting any particular group of people.
I encourage President Trump to work to make the United States of America a beacon of freedom for all Americans and for the world, to teach the nations through strong, compassionate leadership how freedom should look.
May God bless President Trump and the United States of America.
References
Green, Erica; Isabella Kwai; Zolan Kanno-Youngs. “‘I Didn’t Make a Mistake’: Trump Declines to Apologize for Racist Video of Obamas.” 2/6/2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/us/politics/trump-obamas-video-apes-truth-social.html – Accessed 2/7/2026.
Fortinsky, Sarah. “Tim Scott calls Obamas video shared by Trump ‘most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House’.” 2/6/2026. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5726417-scott-rebukes-trump-obama-ape/ – Accessed 2/7/2026.