New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler reiterated his criticism of President Donald Trump on Sunday after a publish from Trump final week included a racist animation of former President Barack Obama and former first woman Michelle Obama depicted as apes.
“I feel generally in our public discourse it’s best to simply say, ‘I am sorry,'” Lawler informed ABC Information’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Lawler, who was one of many first Republicans to criticize Trump over the publish on Friday, mentioned that he’s taking the White Home at its phrase that the publish was a “mistake” made by a staffer. Lawler added that whoever initially created the meme “is an fool.”
Requested on Friday if he would apologize for the video, Trump informed reporters he wouldn’t.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., seems on ABC Information’ “This Week” on Feb. 8, 2026.
ABC Information
“No, I did not make a mistake. I imply, I have a look at quite a lot of — hundreds of issues,” Trump mentioned. “And I seemed in the beginning of it, it was wonderful.”
Requested if he condemned the racist portion of the video, Trump mentioned, “After all I do.”
Trump’s publish included claims of debunked 2020 election conspiracies earlier than the Obamas’ faces seem close to the top on the our bodies of apes abruptly and briefly with out clarification with the tune “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” enjoying over it. White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially blasted criticism of the video as “faux outrage” earlier than the White Home later blamed it on a staffer and deleted the publish about 12 hours after it went on-line.
GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, certainly one of Trump’s staunchest allies, was the primary distinguished Republican to name out the president, calling the publish “essentially the most racist factor I’ve seen out of this White Home.”
“I feel Tim Scott clearly was one of many first individuals to talk out. I do not assume he was engaged in faux outrage,” Lawler mentioned.
“I feel the overwhelming majority of People acknowledge that that sort of images, and making an attempt to, you realize, examine, the primary Black president to a gorilla or a monkey, is insensitive, it is offensive, it is racist,” Lawler mentioned.
He added, “Whether or not it was intentional or a mistake, the very fact is it is flawed. And we should always all simply have the ability to acknowledge that and transfer ahead.”
Listed below are extra highlights from Lawler’s interview:
On reviews Trump requested for Penn Station and Dulles Worldwide Airport named for him
Karl: We realized that President Trump informed Chuck Schumer, the Senate chief, that he can be prepared to unfreeze $16 billion in funding for a significant infrastructure mission in New York and New Jersey if the president — if Schumer had been prepared to endorse the concept of renaming Penn Station — and, by the way in which, Dulles Airport — after Donald Trump. How how is that OK?
Lawler: I’ve been towards freezing the funds. However how did we get right here? Chuck Schumer determined, final fall to close the federal government down for 43 days. And in consequence, this essential infrastructure mission was frozen throughout that shutdown, through which everything of the federal authorities, you realize, was depleted of funds. I do know there have been quite a few conversations between the president and Senator Schumer to attempt to resolve this.
Karl: I imply, he is holding the cash hostage for having these items named after him. I imply, this isn’t like a part of a, ‘Let’s honor any individual.’ He needs it named after himself and he is saying he’ll unfreeze the cash if they will do it.
Lawler: Jon, on the finish of the day to me, I actually might care much less what the identify of a constructing is. A essential infrastructure mission is. I care that it will get finished. And in the end in my, from my vantage level, you realize, work it out. These guys have been in, in, identified one another for roughly 50 years. You understand, this goes again a very long time from my vantage level.
On a bipartisan immigration answer
Lawler: Look, this is a matter that I have been centered on for years. You understand, for 40 years, we’ve not solved our immigration disaster. The American individuals had been rightly outraged by what occurred beneath the Biden administration, the place you had over 10.5 million migrants cross our border, most of them illegally. You understand, porous southern border wanted to be shut down, President Trump did that. The actual fact is that we’ve had 9 straight months of net-zero unlawful border crossings. You have had 675,000 individuals deported, 1.9 million individuals self-deport, lots of these people, prison aliens or individuals who have been concerned within the prison justice system, the American individuals overwhelmingly assist that. However what they do consider, in the event you’ve been on this nation, proper or flawed, for 5, ten, 15, 20 years, your youngsters and your grandchildren are Americans, individuals do not wish to see households damaged aside.
And so there’s acquired to be a authorized path ahead, not a path to citizenship, however a authorized path ahead for individuals to come back out of the shadows in order that they’ll work legally, that they’ll pay their taxes, pay any again taxes owed, pay a wonderful, not accumulate authorities advantages, and never commit against the law that’s the foundation of the Dignity Act, in order that we will truly begin to resolve a disaster that has been in impact for 40 years. We’ve got over 25 million individuals on this nation who’re undocumented. You are not rounding all of them up and kicking them out. It’s not life like.
