Trump shifts blame to advisor and refuses to apologize via video

After initially downplaying the controversy over the portrayal of the Obama couple as monkeys, the White House stated that the publication was mistakenly made by an official

Former President Donald Trump acknowledged ordering the publication of a video that portrayed Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys, but transferred responsibility for the action to an unidentified aide.

The maneuver generated speculation in his inner circle about who, in fact, posted the racist content — with suspicion falling on advisor Natalie Harp.

The video, quickly removed from Trump’s Truth Social account on Thursday night, utilized racial stereotypes by superimposing the couple’s faces onto the bodies of animated monkeys dancing to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

The piece was part of a sequence that promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections.

Aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that he had partially reviewed the material — focused, according to him, on “electoral fraud” — and handed it over to an official for publication.

“I think someone didn’t read everything and posted it. And then we deleted it,” he said, refusing to apologize or fire the person responsible, as he “didn’t make any mistakes.”

The version contrasts with the White House’s initial explanation, which first defended the content and then attributed the post to an “error” by a staff member.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt had downplayed the controversy hours earlier, describing the video as viral internet content that portrays President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.”

“Please stop this fake outrage and report something today that really matters to the American public,” he said.

Internal intrigue about authorship

Sources close to the team reveal that, besides Trump himself, only two advisors have direct access to his Truth Social account: Dan Scavino, now chief of staff, and Natalie Harp.

Colleagues quickly dismissed Scavino — overwhelmed by his new duties — and turned their eyes to Harp, 35, known for her central role in the former president’s communications.

Harp, nicknamed the “Human Printer” for accompanying Trump with a portable printer to deliver him printed tweets and news, is seen as loyal and constantly present in the Oval Office. However, his actions outside the formal chain of command and alleged failures in common sense — such as an aggressive message sent in 2024 to mega-donor Miriam Adelson — have already caused friction with other advisors.

Despite internal criticism, Trump has always rejected suggestions to fire her and promoted her within the White House. Now, advisors believe that she will probably not suffer consequences for the episode.

Rare withdrawal and Republican pressure

The decision to delete the video represented an unusual turn for Trump, who often doubles down on controversial statements. The change came after a call with Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate and chairman of the party’s national committee, who called the content explicitly racist and demanded its removal, according to CBS News.

The White House did not comment on the speculation surrounding Harp at the end of a turbulent day, which once again exposed the tensions between Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and the attempt by part of the Republican establishment to contain the political damage from his social media posts.

The episode reignited debates about the use of racist images in American politics and the culture of impunity surrounding Trump’s online communications, which continues to shape the tone of the campaign for the 2026 elections.

With information from The Guardian on 02/07/2026