White House says Trump deleting tweet with racist chant in video not about loyal Florida supporters

The White House again on Monday said President Trump didn’t hear the racially inappropriate remark in the background of a video he included in a tweet that he swiftly deleted but that the mishap doesn’t diminish his appreciation for supporters in The Villages, in Florida, where the video was taken.

“The point was to stand with his supporters. He does stand with the people of The Villages,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News about the social media post.

In the retweet Sunday by Trump, a person can be heard chanting “white power” at The Villages, the large, central Florida retirement community that is a reliable vote for Republican presidential candidates in the swing state. 

The video shows competing demonstrations between Trump supporters and opponents, according to the Associated Press.  

“Thank you to the great people of The Villages,” Trump said in the tweet. The video also shows anti-Trump protesters shouting “Nazi,” “racist,” and profanities at the Trump backers.

On Sunday, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement that the president is “a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters.”