US President Donald Trump on February 6 (US time) declined to apologize after a video depicting former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, was posted on his Truth Social account.
The video has now been removed and condemned by both the Democratic and Republican parties as racist and deeply offensive.
Accordingly, the video was posted on Mr. Trump's account on the evening of February 5 (US time) and existed for nearly 12 hours. The video was created by artificial intelligence, initially created by an account specializing in posting memes supporting Mr. Trump. The video was then removed, and a White House official said "an employee posted it incorrectly".
Mr. Trump denied involvement in the incident when asked by reporters. When asked, he replied: "No, this is not my mistake.
If they watch, they will see, and perhaps they will be sober enough to take it down," President Trump said. When asked if he would condemn the video content, he replied: "Of course.
Lower House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, accused Mr. Trump of deliberately posting "this disgusting video".
Republican Senator Tim Scott condemned the video as "the most racist thing I've ever seen from the White House".
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said the post was "a serious omission in judgment" and called for "a clear and decisive apology".
