Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday accused the White House and President Trump of a cover-up for blaming a staffer for posting a since-deleted video depicting former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
"No one believes this cover up from the White House, especially since they originally defended the post," Harris wrote on the social platform X. "We are all clear-eyed about who Donald Trump is and what he believes."
A White House official previously told The Hill that a "staffer erroneously made the post." The video was taken down. The White House initially defended the post, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that it was an "internet meme" before it was removed.
The minute-long video depicts Trump and several elected Democrats as animals, with Trump's superimposed on a lion's body. The Obamas appear near the end of the video with their heads superimposed on the bodies of apes while bouncing their heads to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" from "The Lion King." The anthropomorphized animals are seen bowing before the lion.
Bipartisan pushback was swift as several Republicans condemned the racist depictions in the video and demanded the president remove it and apologize. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only Black Republican senator, called the Obamas' depiction "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House."
Trump later told reporters while on Air Force One on Friday that he spoke with Scott about the video. He said he only saw the first portion of the video "and it was fine." The president said "of course" condemned the video but did not apologize, adding that he "didn't make a mistake" in having the video posted.
"Nobody knew that that was at the end," Trump said. "If they would have looked they would have seen it and probably they would have had the sense to take it down. But that was a take-off of 'The Lion King' and a lot of people were covered in different positions."
Democrats and members of their caucus lambasted the video. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called the video "disgustingly racist."
"Are my Republican colleagues going to continue to bend the knee to a racist, authoritarian president who wants the American people to bow down before him?" Sanders wrote on the social platform X.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the video was posted "intentionally."
"F -- Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior," Jeffries said in a video shared on Instagram. "This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder. President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, caring and patriotic Americans. They represent the best of this country."
"It's time for John Thune, Mike Johnson and Republicans to denounce this serial fraudster who's sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. pretending to be the President of the United States," he added, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who was also depicted as an animal in the video, responded through his press office's X account by posting a poll, asking users, "Who should Trump fire first?" The poll lists Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller; "Gestapo Greg," referring to Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino; and the "racist monkey vid staffer."