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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nUS President Donald Trump refused to apologise Friday after posting and then deleting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle, insisting he had not seen the offensive content and blaming a staffer for the mistake.The video was posted late Thursday night and remained online for nearly 12 hours before it was removed amid bipartisan outrage, including criticism from close Trump allies. The White House initially defended the post and dismissed the backlash as \u201cfake outrage,\u201d but later said a staffer had posted the video in error.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday evening, Trump acknowledged that he had watched a part of the video before it was posted. He said it was taken down \u201cas soon as we found out about it.\u201d\u201cI looked at the beginning of it. It was fine,\u201d Trump said, referring to the opening portion of the video that contained debunked claims about fraud in voting machines.\u201cIt was a very strong post in terms of voter fraud,\u201d he continued, as quoted by CNN. \u201cNobody knew that that was in the end. If they would have looked, they would have seen it, and probably they would have had the sense to take it down.\u201dTrump said he passed the video along to a staffer after watching the beginning and said that person should have reviewed it fully before posting it. \u201cSomebody slipped and missed a very small part,\u201d he said.When asked directly whether he would apologise for the post, Trump declined.\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t make a mistake.\u201dThe White House\u2019s statement came after intense backlash, including from GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, who called the video racist and urged Trump to remove it.\u201cPraying it was fake because it\u2019s the most racist thing I\u2019ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it,\u201d Scott wrote on X.One White House adviser, as quoted by CNN, said, \u201cThe president was not aware of that video, and was very let down by the staffer who put it out.\u201d Another ally sought to place blame on a specific aide.Near the end of the short video, the Obamas briefly appear with their faces superimposed onto the bodies of apes as it promotes false claims that voting machines helped steal the 2020 election. For about one second, the song \u201cThe Lion Sleeps Tonight\u201d plays in the background.Former vice president Kamala Harris criticised the White House\u2019s explanation, writing on X, \u201cNo one believes this cover up from the White House, especially since they originally defended the post. We are all clear-eyed about who Donald Trump is and what he believes.\u201dThe office of California governer Gavin Newsom also condemned the video. \u201cDisgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now,\u201d it said in a post on X.<\/div>\n