President Donald Trump condemned, but did not apologize for, a video on his social media account that described former Democratic President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys, a post that sparked swift bipartisan criticism for inhumane treatment of people of African descent.
The White House initially defended the racist post on Friday, then deleted it 12 hours after it appeared.
A one-minute video shared on the Trump's Truth social media platform late Thursday reinforced false claims that his 2020 election loss was the result of fraud, Reuters reports.
On Friday evening, Trump told reporters that he had not seen the entire video before a White House aide posted it to his account.
"I didn't watch the whole video," Trump said. "I watched the first part and it was really about voter fraud in voting machines, how corrupt it is, how disgusting it is. Then I left it to my people. Usually they watch the whole video. But apparently, someone didn't."
Asked by reporters if he condemned the clip, Trump replied: "Of course I do." However, he refused to apologize, saying: "I did nothing wrong. I mean, I see - I'm given to see - a lot of things, thousands."
Trump's comments capped a day of conflicting narratives inside the White House. Initially, an administration spokesman defended the video as a harmless "internet meme," before another official said it had been posted in error and removed, marking a rare retreat for a White House that is usually staunch in its defense of Trump.
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