Rep. Tony Gonzales faltered during a Face the Nation interview when asked if President Trump should apologize for sharing a Truth Social video that briefly depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. The clip—focused largely on debunked 2020 election claims—was removed after about 12 hours amid bipartisan condemnation. Gonzales deflected to election-integrity arguments and declined to endorse firings or other clear consequences; other Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Mike Lawler, openly criticized the post.
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales Falters Defending Trump After Racist Obama Video
Tony Gonzales told Margaret Brennan that there's no room for 'isms' in the country. / CBS News
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) appeared flustered on CBS’s Face the Nation when moderator Margaret Brennan pressed him about whether President Donald Trump should apologize for sharing a video on Truth Social that depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
The senator struggled as Margaret Brennan repeatedly asked about apologies and consequences. / CBS News
What Happened
The clip, which included debunked 2020 election-fraud claims and ended with a brief racist image, was posted to Trump’s Truth Social account late Thursday and removed after roughly 12 hours amid bipartisan backlash. The president said he had viewed the video and called it "credible," while also saying he did not see the racist imagery; the post was later taken down.
Gonzales said that Trump shouldn't worry about 'all the people that are upset with him.' / Truth Social
Gonzales’s Interview
When Brennan asked whether Trump "needs to apologize," Gonzales hesitated and struggled to deliver a direct answer, at one point saying:
The president has received intense backlash from within his party but has thus far refused to apologise for the video, which was taken down on Friday. / Samuel Corum/Getty Images
"There’s... uhh... it’s up to the president. There’s no room in this country for racism, antisemitism, socialism. All the ‘isms’ need to go."
Pressed further about whether the clip was racist, Gonzales replied haltingly that the ending was "very upsetting to a lot of people," then pivoted to attack the substance of the video: its claims about election integrity. He repeatedly declined to say whether staffers who posted the video should be fired or face other consequences.
Reactions And Context
Other Republicans were more direct in condemning the post. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) called it "the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House." Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) called the video "wrong and incredibly offensive" and said an apology should be offered. Karoline Leavitt dismissed criticism as "fake outrage."
The exchange highlighted a wider Republican split over how to respond to the post: some defended the president’s decision or excused it, while others demanded clearer accountability and an apology. Brennan pressed Gonzales on whether the White House should vet posts more carefully, asking, "Wouldn’t you expect that they actually look at what they do before they do it?" Gonzales twice deflected, saying the president "should not be worrying about all the people that are upset with him" and that focus should remain on national security.
This on-air stumble comes amid sustained scrutiny of how political figures and their teams moderate social media and the potential consequences when inflammatory content is shared from official or high-profile accounts.
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