Donald Trump has been facing endless accusations — even from within the Republican Party — that his video depicting the Obamas as monkeys was racist. The president chose not to apologize for the video but instead attacked the women and people of color in the GOP who condemned it.
The president’s aggression over the video does not necessarily mean he was proud of it. As criticism began pouring in, he claimed he was not even aware of how it depicted the Obamas and then promptly deleted the video. What Trump does not like, however, is being humiliated. His niece recently revealed that this is one of his biggest fears.
That is why, when Trump was accused of racism, he became desperate to prove that he has Black friends — posting a carousel of himself next to Black celebrities, including the embattled Diddy. Some of the photos were more than 30 years old. But according to CNN, he was far more petulant behind closed doors.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — the sole Black senator in the Republican Party and chair of its Senate campaign arm — condemned Trump’s monkey video. Reportedly, Trump then spent an entire weekend arguing that Scott was out of line and questioning why he did not keep the matter private. A senior Trump administration official said, “He [Trump] was like, ‘We work together all the time. He didn’t need to comment publicly.’”
With Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, the reports were more split. At first, Trump was accused of calling the senator with strong denunciations and expletives, at one point even telling her that she was dead to him. Later, however, Britt’s office called the report “fake news,” and the White House corroborated her claim, saying she remains a strong ally of the president.
The White House is now in a difficult position over the entire episode, having initially defended the video only for Trump to later say that he did not support it either. As a result, trust in White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other staff is at an all-time low, with their statements increasingly taken lightly by critics of the administration.
What should not be taken lightly, however, are Trump’s threats to use his influence over Republican voters against anyone who publicly opposes him. Days after the racist video controversy, Trump was attempting to push a key tariff mandate through Congress, but some Republican lawmakers were reportedly considering breaking with him. Trump responded by promising to ensure they would “suffer the consequences” in their primaries — a threat made credible by how he has handled past disputes with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer is believed to have presented Trump with a printout of lawmakers’ responses to the racist video. Loomer later confirmed the claim on X, saying she would make sure Trump knew about every Republican who accused him of racism. What comes next remains unclear.
But the larger question now is whether the Republican Party’s goal is still to serve the public — or simply to make Trump look good at all times.
