Republicans condemn Trump's racist video portraying the Obamas as apes

Washington — Republican lawmakers condemned President Trump on Friday for sharing a video that portrayed former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. 

The criticism continued even after the White House removed the video after the initial backlash. 

Several GOP lawmakers publicly urged the president to remove it, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is the only Black Republican in the Senate. 

"Praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House," wrote Scott, who leads Senate Republicans' campaign arm. "The President should remove it." 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the video, which amplified false claims about the 2020 presidential election. Leavitt said the footage that showed the Obamas' heads edited onto the bodies of apes was part of an "internet meme video" that portrayed Mr. Trump as "King of the Jungle" and Democrats as characters from the Lion King.  

Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Nebraska Republican, said: "Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this. The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize." 

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York called the post "wrong and incredibly offensive." Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, said it was "totally unacceptable." Both said Mr. Trump should apologize. 

Several shared their condemnation after the post — which was shared by Mr. Trump on Thursday night — was removed Friday afternoon. A White House official said a staffer "erroneously made the post." 

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said it was "appalling." Sen. Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, said he was glad the White House removed the "offensive" post. 

Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, said the video "should have never been posted to begin with, and is not who we are as a nation." Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, wrote that the post was "racist and offensive and not who we are as a nation." Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said it "sent the wrong message despite how it may have been originally intended." 

Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah shared a similar sentiment as his colleagues, referring to the post as "blatantly racist and inexcusable." 

"It should never have been posted or left published for so long," Curtis said. 

GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio also weighed in: "I do not feel the need to respond to every inflammatory statement made by the White House. However, the release of racist images of former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama is offensive, heart breaking, and unacceptable. President Trump should apologize." 

GOP Rep. John James of Michigan, who is Black, defended the president as "not racist," but said he was "shocked and appalled" by the post. 

"I'm glad to see that trash has been taken down," he said. 

Rep. Burgess Owens, a Utah Republican, added to the chorus on Friday afternoon, saying "we all have a responsibility to use care and good judgment with the content we produce and distribute." 

"The imagery was wildly offensive and inappropriate, and as a Black man, I find it especially troubling," he said. "It never should have been shared or even created, and I'm glad it has been taken down."

GOP Rep. French Hill of Arkansas also said he was glad the post was removed, explaining that "racism and dehumanizing rhetoric have no place in our country. Every American deserves to be treated with dignity and respect."