Video with racist clip pulled from Trump social media

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. I am Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union in 1962. And I'm Max Kennedy, the nephew of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. We explore what was a terrifying moment in history. The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. How close the world came to nuclear war. And what they had to do to pull it back from the brink. The bomb, Kennedy and Khrushchev. All episodes available now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. America is changing. And so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval.

0:45It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere. I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. I'm Tristan Redman in London. And this is The Global Story. Every weekday, we'll bring you a story from this intersection, where the world and America meet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:09This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Keith Adams, and in the early hours of the 7th of February, these are our main stories. Condemnation across the US political spectrum prompts the White House to remove a racist video on President Trump's truth social account. More international figures are embroiled in the web of connections around the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as further details emerge from the release of his emails, photos and files. And the seemingly B-movie blockbuster taking the film world by storm, the growing buzz around the vampire and blues horror Sinners.

1:50Also in this podcast... Two hours. I've spent two hours waiting for the fuel tanker to arrive and no sign of it. We don't know if it's coming. Fuel shortages in Cuba reach critical levels. The government says it's ready for talks with the US about solving the crisis.

2:10First, to the United States, where the White House has removed a video shared on President Trump's Truth Social account depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes in a jungle. The clip appeared at the end of a video promoting conspiracy theories about fraud in the 2020 presidential election. It remained online for about 12 hours. President Trump has now acknowledged the video was racist but has declined to apologise and he says the video was taken down as soon as the White House found out about it. No, I didn't make a mistake. I mean, if I look at a lot of thousands of things and I looked at the beginning of it, it was fine.

2:53They had that one post and I guess it was a takeoff. By the way, a lot of people covered. If you look at where it came from, a lot of I guess it was a takeoff on the Lion King. And certainly it was a very strong post in terms of voter fraud. Nobody knew that that was at the end. If they would have looked, they would have seen it. and probably they would have had the sense to take it down. Well, the Post quickly sparked condemnation across the political spectrum, which the White House initially dismissed as fake outrage, but it later blamed the Post on a staffer who it said had erroneously shared it.

3:29Democratic Congressman Al Green said the incident crossed a clear line. What the president has done is gone beyond racial profile. This is raw rank racism. when the president of the United States of America, who knows or should know the history of this country and how persons have used this image of persons of African ancestry to be associated with persons who are members of the monkey family. For the president to do this, and to do it openly and notoriously, is showing that he condones this level of racism. In a social media post, Tim Scott, the only black Republican currently serving in the Senate, said he thought it was the most racist thing he'd seen come out of this White House.

4:13From Washington, here's our correspondent Simi Jola Asho. Trump says that he only saw the first part of the video, the part that rehashed unproven claims of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential elections. He says he didn't see the part of the video that included the racist clip of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, which depicted them as apes. When asked if he renounces that racist part of the video, President Trump said, of course. But he fell short of making an apology, saying that he himself didn't make a mistake. And there's been angry responses by the Democrats to this video, hasn't there as well?

4:57There has been a lot of angry responses by the Democrats. The leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries asserted that the video had been done intentionally, saying that President Trump's behavior was, quote, vile and racist. He himself has accused Trump of racism last year after the president shared an AI image depicting Jeffries, who's black, with a mustache and sombrero. The California governor, Gavin Newsom's office, also posted that the video was disgusting and said that every single Republican should denounce the video. And some Republicans have, haven't they?

5:38Yes, President Trump has received backlash from members of his own party. New York Representative Mike Lawler earlier said that the video was incredibly offensive and that the president should apologize. Even the only black Republican senator, Tim Scott, called for the video to be taken down, describing it as the most racist thing he's seen out of this White House. And have the Obamas commented on this incident? No, we haven't seen anything on their social media with regards to this video that was uploaded on Trump's Truth Social account. I seem to remember that President Trump had some success with black voters in 2024.

6:21Do you think this could have an impact on his relationship with them? It sort of reinforces narratives of racial insensitivity, and it has attracted widespread condemnation, not only amongst politicians, but also from supporters, civil rights groups and Republicans as well. given historically low support levels from black voters and that strong sense of loyalty a lot of black voters have to figures like Barack Obama this episode is more likely to sort of deepen opposition and have a negative effect on a sort of turnout for President Trump especially with the midterm elections coming up we will just have to wait and see how this might affect his support going forward.

7:14Simi Jolaasho. All week, one story has dominated the headlines here in the UK. The British Prime Minister under pressure over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, despite his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But the ripples from the release of millions of Epstein's emails, photos and files reach well beyond this country. The Epstein files have just been released by the Justice Department. It's a new set of archives related to Jeffrey Epstein. Some concerning the old president of Jeffrey Epstein. The new Epstein document is free.

7:58A taste there of some of the global headlines. It just shows how far Epstein's network reached, from businessmen to politicians to royals. On Friday, Norway's Crown Princess apologised for her friendship with the convicted sex offender. Joe Inwood is our World Affairs correspondent, and he told my colleague Anka Desai which countries seem to be particularly affected by the files. This is spreading as globally as the network that Jeffrey Epstein seems to have maintained. There are at least eight countries that we know of, other than the US, which are carrying out investigations. That's the UK, Turkey, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Norway, Ukraine and Poland.

8:38And there really could be more. Now, in terms of countries that pop up quite a lot, Russia is mentioned many, many times, a huge number, really. But that's often in the context of Jeffrey Epstein trying to find young women, it seems. Now, Poland has another connection also with Russia, because the prime minister there, Donald Tusk, has suggested that Jeffrey Epstein may have actually been a spy working for the Kremlin. Now, Israel is another country Jeffrey Epstein is often said to have had many links with. And it was well known that the former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

9:08Now, the Times of Israel says that they've listened to a three-hour recorded conversation between the two men, in which they cover a huge range of topics. One of the ones that's really captured people's interest there is him talking about demographics and the need to bring in more Jewish people, especially from Russia, to counter the rise in the Arab population there. That's something that's been discussed. Of course, Mr Barak has previously said he regrets his association with Mr Epstein. But the one country that's come up more than any other, apart from maybe the UK, is Norway. Now, people might have heard about the connection with the Crown Princess.

9:40But we've also got a former Prime Minister, Thorbjorn Jogland, who has been connected. He was also the head of the Council of Europe and the head of the Nobel Committee. Now, he is found, according to papers there, to have exchanged some pretty toe-curling messages with Mr Epstein. and a corruption investigation has been launched into him. He says he is happy to cooperate with that and looks forward to proving his innocence. Joe, an interesting incident in France. A huge release of new information that's allegedly been used to spread disinformation. What do we know about that? Yeah, this is a really interesting one.

10:15This is almost kind of the flip side of the coin to the information and the new light that's been spread on things. This is an allegation from a French kind of government anti-disinformation unit. And they say that they found attempts, they say, by Russian groups to post disinformation about President Macron. Now, what they say they found is what appeared to be a legitimate news website, but actually was a fake. And it was putting forward an article with lots of allegations against President Macron, for which there is no evidence we understand, suggesting that he had links with Mr Epstein. And rather than coming from the French news organisation it claimed to come from, according to the French authorities, it actually came from two Russian groups, one called Copycom and one called Storm 1516.

10:58Now, it's been really interesting, I think really noteworthy. There are certain countries that have come up. What we don't know at this point is are certain countries being mentioned more than others because Mr Epstein has greater links there? Or is it simply because journalists in those countries have been looking through the documents with more intensity? could be either one of those things. And I say that because there is a vast, vast number of documents, millions and millions. We are still going through them, and I expect there are still powerful people around the world about whom more embarrassing revelations will come out in the near future.

11:30Joe Inwood. And for the in-depth backstory of how the Epstein Files have rocked the British establishment, search for our sister podcast, The Global Story, wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. It may well be Super Bowl weekend, but in Hollywood, another contest is causing excitement. On Saturday, the Directors Guild of America holds its annual awards, seen as a strong indicator of who might take home that coveted Best Director trophy at the Oscars. And as Alan Maloney reports, there's a growing buzz around Ryan Coogler for his supernatural thriller Sinners. With the awards season in full flow there is one film on the lips of Academy voters Period vampire film Sinners is the brainchild of Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler and reunites him with frequent collaborator Michael B.

12:27Jordan You twins? Nah, we cousins But it's Paul Thomas Anderson, director of One Battle After Another not Coogler, who's seen as the current favourite to win for Best Director Oscar. But that could change if Coogler wins in their same category at Saturday's Directors Guild Awards, long been seen as a bellwether in predicting the Best Director Oscar winner. But for Coogler, whatever happens in the award sweepstakes, Sinners remains a very personal story. The story started with my love of my uncle, who is from Mississippi and loved blues music. He was my introduction to it. He passed away 10 years ago in 2015.

13:07And after he passed, I found myself listening to the blues records that I would listen to with him as a way of processing it. And that transformative power of that music and the ritual of listening to music to trigger nostalgia for a loved one was what gave me the idea for this movie. Sinners had been predicted to do well in terms of nominations, but its record-breaking tally of 16 has exceeded the dreams of even its biggest supporters. Not bad for a film originally released last April and marketed as more of a crowd-pleasing blockbuster than a worthy Oscar drama. One of the next major steps on Sinners' Oscars juggernaut will be here, London's Royal Festival Hall, where the BAFTA Film Awards will take place in just a few weeks' time.

13:56Sinners has secured 13 BAFTA nominations to go along with its record Academy Award nomination hall. And for a film that was seen as something of a risk by its studio Warner Brothers, it's rapidly becoming a major awards contender. With multiple award nominations and a worldwide box office of almost$370 million, it's a risk that looks to have largely paid off for the studio. But while the film has been a big success in America, only 24 % of its box office came from outside the US. That's a significant disconnect and by far the lowest proportion of any of the top 50 American films at the worldwide box office last year.

14:39The Vampires is different. But Nigerian-British actress Wumi Moussaku believes the film has the potential to reach a global audience. As a movie, it really talks about your ancestry and your purpose, your gift. and what we do with it and who we let mould it, touch it. Because, you know, I think that's a message for anyone and everyone, no matter who you are, like, what's your purpose and what you're going to do with it and how you're going to protect it. She sees the film's originality, as well as difference and diversity on display, as something that Hollywood should embrace more of going forward.

15:20It was the original story. It wasn't white-led. I think you can learn that people show up. I think Hollywood needs to maybe catch up with the audience members, the audience goers, because a lot of people of colour come out and show up for films like Sinners, Zootopia. I mean, what's the K-pop movie? I mean, these are massive movies that people have really loved and they are very, very diverse. With its record number of Academy Award nominations, Sinners is the movie with the most momentum heading into the awards campaign season. And if Kugler does win an Academy Award for Best Directing, he will make history as the first black filmmaker to do so.

16:07Alan Maloney. Still to come in this podcast. When it comes to young users, this kind of addictive design is very harmful for their well-being. The European Union takes on TikTok and what regulators call its addictive design.

16:29I am Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union in 1962. And I'm Max Kennedy, the nephew of US President John F. Kennedy. We explore what was a terrifying moment in history. The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. How close the world came to nuclear war. And what they had to do to pull it back from the brink. The bomb, Kennedy and Khrushchev. All episodes available now wherever you get your BBC podcasts. America is changing. And so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

17:13I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. I'm Tristan Redman in London and this is The Global Story. Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet. Listen on bbc.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

17:45greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Wind power in the United States has been subsidized for 33 years. Solar for 25 years. That's enough. The interview from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

18:02The headlines never stop and it's harder than ever to tell what's real, what matters and what's just noise. That's where Pod Save America comes in. I'm Tommy Vitor and every week I'm joined by fellow former Obama aides John Favreau, John Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer to break down the biggest stories, unpack what they mean for the future of our democracy, and add just enough humor to stay sane along the way. You'll also hear honest, in-depth conversations with big voices in politics, media, and culture, like Rachel Maddow, Gavin Newsom, and Mark Cuban, that you won't find anywhere else. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday, with deep dives every other weekend.

18:32Listen wherever you get your podcasts, watch on YouTube, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes.

18:43This is the Global News Podcast. Cuba has for a long time been dependent on imported oil, and it's now suffering from a critical shortage of fuel because shipments from Venezuela, once its biggest supplier, have been stopped by the US. And Mexico, Cuba's top supplier after Venezuela, is under intense pressure from Washington following new US tariffs on countries that ship oil to the island. The Cuban president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, says transport hospitals and the economy are all affected, but that Cuba is ready for dialogue with the US, provided it's on an equal footing. In response, the White House says diplomacy is already taking place, but that the Cuban government is on what it called its last legs.

19:31Meanwhile, the people are feeling desperate. I'm Emilio Hernandez. Two hours. I've spent two hours waiting for the fuel tanker to arrive and no sign of it. We don't know if it's coming and this is paying in dollars. My name is Francisco Perez. I've been here for five hours. No tanker yet and no idea if it's coming. They say it's coming, but who knows? In Cuban pesos or foreign currency, whatever. You just have to find a way to pay for it. We have no other option. Well, our Central America and Cuba correspondent, Will Grant, was in Havana just weeks ago. He spoke to my colleague, Ed Butler. It's very, very desperate.

20:12I mean, I've been very recently, I saw and spoke to people. It really is the only topic of conversation with people. You were seeing on petrol station forecourts, people were queuing for hours on end, hoping to get the possibility of some kind of fuel for their cars, even if that meant paying in foreign currency, which sort of already divides people into those who have access to foreign currency and those who don't. But it is a very, very tough picture for people right now. Firstly, I suppose they are going to be completely out of oil, I guess, potentially this weekend or something like it if a solution isn't found.

20:51Do we know what Washington is offering as some kind of compromise? Because it seems like they hold all the chips effectively if Cuba is going to be out of fuel altogether. Yeah, I think that's a very fair analysis, Ed. I mean, if we pull back, as you say, from hearing the voices on the street, if we pull back and we think about this for a moment, Venezuela, the main provider of oil, that's been knocked out. And Washington is essentially in control now, as far as we understand, of the Venezuelan oil industry. It is a complete red line for Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, that Venezuela sends any more oil to Cuba.

21:27Mexico, where I am currently, they can't step up because they are going to be engaged in talks over renegotiated North American free trade agreement, the USMCA, over the summer. And again, Washington made it abundantly clear that they don't expect Mexico to step up to fill the void of Venezuela. Who's left in terms of Cuba's allies? Russia obviously has its own issues and currently dedicating its resources to the war in Ukraine. So the picture for the island is quite honestly the bleakest it has been this century. We've heard from the president, Dias Canel, saying they're trying to find solutions, but one genuinely wonders what those solutions will be and exactly what they can offer to Washington beyond wholesale root and branch reform that would be acceptable to the Trump administration.

22:13Yeah. And given Marco Rubio's history and his position on Cuba, you wonder what they would would satisfy the White House short of regime change. Exactly. And I think that is the issue, because in Venezuela, they've shown that they're willing to work with an interim government that involves the remnants of Nicolas Maduro's administration. I'm not sure that that will be the case in the Cuban example. And so it seems that the intention, as so stated by Marco Rubio himself, really, is to basically squeeze the island now by cutting off its oil to a point that the humanitarian crisis is such that there is some kind of reaction on the streets or requiring, from Washington's perspective, some kind of intervention.

22:58But it's a very, very risky game. and, of course, ordinary Cubans like the one we heard at the beginning are sort of trapped in the middle of all of that. Will Grant. Japan heads to the polls again this Sunday, the second general election in as many years. Prime Minister Sanai Takeichi, Japan's first female leader, is betting on her personal popularity to do what her party failed to do last year, secure a clear mandate for the long-ruling but unpopular Liberal Democratic Party. But Sunday's elections will also test the appetite for her plans to boost public spending when inflation and cost of living is uppermost in voters' minds.

23:38Our Tokyo correspondent Shaima Khalil has been speaking to voters about what's at stake.

23:48It's another cold morning in Tokyo. Here in Togoshiginza, a busy shopping street in central Shinagawa, daily life is in full swing. Mothers are cycling past with shopping baskets up front and children strapped behind. I can see two people lingering over a sushi display. It looks rather good, I must say. An elderly woman is examining a bag of oranges at a fruit stall outside the local supermarket. Japan is heading into a snap election. It's second in two years. The Prime Minister, Sanai Takeuchi, caught her party, the opposition, and much of the electorate here off guard when she called it just three months into her leadership.

24:23It's a political gamble, when her predecessor Shigeru Ishiba took last year and lost badly. This time, the difference is her persona and popularity. Her party's image, though, remains deeply tainted by corruption scandals that came to light over two years ago. The timing of this election has drawn sharp criticism. Opponents say it will delay anti-inflation measures and budget scrutiny. It's also happening in the depths of winter, with heavy snow in parts of northern Japan raising concerns about turnout. And hanging heavily over this road, of course, is the cost of living. I used to spend about 10 ,000 yen a week on groceries.