U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday refused to apologise for sharing a social media video that depicts former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as monkeys, saying he was unaware the image had been added at the end of the clip.

Trump said he watched the video, which largely focused on claims of election fraud, and then forwarded it to unnamed individuals to post on his Truth Social account, adding that he “did not watch it all the way through,” including the final seconds showing the offensive imagery.

Asked by the Washington Post whether he would respond to calls from some fellow Republicans to apologise for sharing the video, which sparked widespread condemnation and was described as racist and offensive, Trump said he would not.

There was no immediate comment from Obama’s office.