President Donald Trump appeared convinced he had found the perfect clapback — a slick, two-minute montage he believed would silence critics once and for all.
After refusing to apologize for sharing and later deleting a racist video that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, he pivoted to what looked like calculated damage control.
It backfired almost immediately.
The president reposted a throwback montage to his Truth Social account showing himself alongside prominent Black celebrities and several civil rights leaders, including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Omarosa Manigault Newman and Rev. Al Sharpton.
The move came as backlash over the Obama video continued to intensify, with critics demanding accountability. Adding to the controversy were reports that Trump sought to blame a staffer for the original post, even as insider accounts suggested the explanation may not be so simple.
Trump shared the nearly two-minute video Wednesday morning with the caption, “How quickly people forget,” Trump wrote. “So sad!”.
It opens with a text overlay reading, “A Timeline of Trump’s Bigotry,” followed by the prompt to “watch til the end.” The video appears to have originated from a Black content creator who describes himself as a “radical Republican” and “Unapologetically MAGA.”
The montage features Trump smiling, posing for photos and mingling warmly at public events with Black attendees. It even includes moments of him kissing Black babies. The clip closes with Trump delivering remarks suggesting longstanding goodwill and familiarity within the Black community — an implicit argument that his relationships speak for themselves.
Online reaction was swift and scathing, particularly over the inclusion of one celebrity that critics say undermined the entire premise of the video.
@jonnychronic1 ♬ original sound – jonny chronic
“Posing with Diddy is not the flex he thinks it is,” one Thread user wrote. “OMFG,” wrote another bluntly.
“So…let me get this straight…He posted this…to say he’s not a bigot. But does he know what The Diddler is in prison for? You know what? It tracks…nevermind,” said another.
“I think this is evidence that he has totally lost it. Somebody left him alone in the kitchen with ketchup too long. I don’t think he even realizes the implications of posting he and Diddy while Pam Bondy is sitting there with Epstein survivors behind her,” another fumed.
The inclusion of Diddy drew particular scrutiny. The music mogul has faced serious legal troubles in recent years, including federal charges last year related to sex trafficking and racketeering. Something that seemed lost on Trump who’ve spoken openly about not considering a pardon for Combs.
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Several of the other figures highlighted in the montage have since distanced themselves from Trump.
Omarosa, once one of his most visible defenders and a former White House aide, later became a vocal critic, alleging he reserved some of his harshest language for Black women. Sharpton, who appeared alongside Trump at events decades ago, has also become a frequent critic of his policies and rhetoric.
Another added, “If you have to post a montage of yourself with Black people to prove that you’re not racist then you likely are racist.”
“”How can someone be racist who have friends who are Black?” The same way serial killers can have friends who are alive,” another mocked.
Asked at a press conference Thursday, Feb. 12, whether the anonymous staffer had been disciplined, Trump said no.
“No, I haven’t. That was a video that’s been shown all over the place before it was posted. It’s a very strong piece on voter fraud,” he said, again defending the post rather than addressing the criticism directly.
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Trump’s history with the Obamas was never warm. Before entering the White House, he spent years promoting the false “birtherism” conspiracy questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship, a campaign widely condemned as racially motivated.
The president’s latest racist episode fits into a broader pattern that stretches back decades, from housing discrimination lawsuits in the 1970s to his full-page newspaper ad calling for the death penalty in the Central Park Five case.
His past comments about immigrants from “s—hole countries” and repeated attacks on Black women in power, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, have also drawn accusations of racially charged rhetoric.
Rather than quieting criticism, the montage appeared to amplify it. For many observers, the post reinforced the perception that proximity to high-profile Black figures is being deployed as a shield against deeper and longstanding allegations that continue to shadow his political career.
