On Friday, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Palm Beach, Florida.

President Donald Trump did not apologize for sharing a social media video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. He stated that he did not understand the image was added to the conclusion of the tape.

The president said Friday that he had watched and passed along the video — which focused on claims of voter fraud until the final seconds of the clip — to unidentified “people” to post to his Truth Social account, but that he “didn’t see the whole thing,” including the brief portion that showed the Obamas’ heads edited onto ape bodies.

In answer to a question from The Washington Post about whether he would heed some Republicans’ calls to apologize for uploading the video, which was widely denounced as racist and disrespectful, Trump said no.

“No, I didn’t make a mistake,” Trump stated on his trip to Palm Beach, Florida, for the weekend. “I look at thousands of things. I looked at the beginning of it. “It was fine.”

Trump described the contentious video, which lasted 12 hours before being removed, as “a very strong post in terms of voter fraud.”

The footage was shared late Thursday night. On Friday morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the tweet, condemning the “fake outrage” and claiming that the ape image was “from an internet meme video” depicting Trump as “King of the Jungle” and other Democrats as “characters from the Lion King.”

However, the reaction was fast, especially from Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), the chamber’s only Black Republican and head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Scott described the post as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Several other Republican senators and House members followed Scott in denouncing the video, with some urging Trump to apologize.

According to White House officials, a staffer released the video “erroneously,” and by lunchtime, it had been erased.

Trump claimed he spoke with Scott on Friday and described him as “a great guy.”

Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force On Friday, Trump disputed the suggestion that the role and his handling of it would harm his standing with minority voters, which he had gained during the 2024 election. He emphasized criminal justice reform legislation enacted during his first term, as well as his attempts to secure financing for historically Black schools and universities.

“I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time, as far as I’m concerned,” he remarked. He praised his electoral performance among Black male voters in 2024, compared to previous Republicans.

“Black voters have been great to me,” Trump stated. “I’ve been great to them.”

When asked if he criticized the racist aspect of the video, Trump responded, “Of course I do.”

The post Thursday night was the latest example of the president’s social media habits that drew criticism from some in his party — and forced White House personnel to remove posts.