Anger in the White House over a now-deleted post on President Donald Trump's Truth Social account
White House staffers are privately venting their frustrations over a now-deleted post on President Donald Trump's Truth Social account that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. This error has sparked internal questions and rare condemnation from the president's own party.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation revealed that Trump had not seen the video before it was posted and was displeased upon learning about it. Aides are reportedly 'pretty angry' about the debacle, including the person responsible for posting the video.
The identity of the poster remains unclear, as does the possibility of further discipline. A White House official suggested that the video was 'erroneously' posted, containing a clip of the former president and first lady.
Posted at 11:44 p.m. on Thursday night, the video detailed a conspiracy about voting machines before ending with the offensive clip. It quickly drew rebukes from several high-profile Republicans. Senate GOP campaign chief Tim Scott of South Carolina, the party's only Black senator, called it 'the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House,' while Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., deemed it 'totally unacceptable.'
Before the post was deleted, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized 'fake outrage' over the post, stating that it was 'from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.'
A person close to the White House expressed frustration, stating, 'You can't attempt to clean up the mess by continuing to make it messier.'
A short list of individuals with access to the president's Truth Social account includes White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and one of the president's most devoted aides, Natalie Harp. While Harp frequently posts on Trump's account with his approval, the White House has not confirmed whether she was behind the post.
The source with knowledge of the situation did not identify the culpable individual, and the White House did not immediately return a request for comment on Harp's involvement.
