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Obama was asked about the social media post, which was taken down followinggrowing callsfrom both sides of the aisle hours after Trump shared it, during an interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen posted on Saturday.

"Well, first of all, I think it's important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling," Obama said.

He added, "And there's this sort of clown show that's happening in social media and on television ... What is true is that there doesn't seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety, and respect for the office, right? So, that's been lost."

Trump hasn't disciplined or fired staffer he says posted video with racist image of Obamas

The minute-long video was posted on Trump's social media platform on Feb. 5 at 11:44 p.m. It largely focused on debunked claims about the 2020 election, but near the end abruptly showed the Obamas' faces on the bodies of apes without explanation and the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" playing over it.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt first brushed off criticism of the video the next morning as "fake outrage" and said the racist animation of the Obamas was from an "internet meme" that depicted Trump as king of the jungle and Democrats as various animals.

But later a White House official claimed a "staffer erroneously made the post."

Several hours later, Trump maintained he "didn't make a mistake" and that he didn't see the entire video before he gave it to "the people" to have it posted to his account.

Trump told reporters this week that the unidentified staffer who allegedly posted the videohad not been disciplinedfor posting the video on his account.

Video Trump faces backlash for racist Obama post

Asked by ABC News' Fritz Farrow on Feb. 6 if he condemned the racist portion of the video, Trump said, "Of course I do."

Asked if he had any message to Americans who were offended by the post, Trump said, "Well, I have no message. I didn't know about it, so I mean, it went up. I really have no message."

Trump has not publicly apologized for the post.

-ABC News' Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

The letter, required by law, includes a general description of the types of ‌redactions made, ⁠and a list of notable people mentioned in the files in ⁠any way.

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The letter also includes an extensive list of high-profile people ​or "politically exposed ​persons" referenced ​in the files, ‌even if they had no interactions with Epstein or his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, but were mentioned in sources such as press clippings. The ‌letter, sent to ​the leaders of the ​Senate and ​House Judiciary committees, does ‌not state in what ​context a ​name appears.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request ​for ‌comment.

(Reporting by Christian Martinez in Los ​Angeles; Editing by Sergio Non ​and Matthew Lewis)

Protect Our Care, a nonprofit advocating for better and more affordable health care,issued a statementfollowing Kennedy Jr.'s confession on comedian Theo Von's podcast "This Past Weekend," which aired on Feb. 12.

"With his statement today that 'I'm not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats,' Trump HHS SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.continues to lay bare why he is the most dangerous, in over his head, ill-suited person ever to lead such an important federal agency that has life-and-death power," the statement reads.

President of Protect Our Care Brad Woodhouse addressed Kennedy Jr.'s remark with a one-word statement: "Resign."

The health secretary has been lambasted by critics over myriad issues ranging from vaccines to fluoride to dietary guidelines. USA TODAY has reached out to HHS for comment.

Robert Kennedy Jr. (R) speaks to the students at Pace University in New York Sept. 18, 2003, after endorsing Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry at a press conference. Kennedy endorsed Kerry citing his lifelong commitment and leadership to improve the environment.

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See Senators grill HHS Secretary RFK Jr. over vaccine rulings, CDC turmoil

RFK Jr. discusses sobriety on Theo Von's podcast

Although Kennedy's brief comment about the extent of his past drug use has circulated online, his interview with Von began with the two discussing their sobriety.

Kennedy, who admitted to being sober for more than 40 years, said he and the comedian met during morning recovery meetings before the COVID-19 outbreak and later formed a "pirate" group that continued meeting during the pandemic.

"I said, 'I don't care what happens, I'm going to a meeting every day,'" Kennedy said, explaining his mindset during the pandemic.

Kennedy also recalled thinking, "I know this disease will kill me. If I don't treat it, which for me means going to meetings every day, it's just bad for my life."

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Von and Kennedy also had a wider discussion about helping people addicted to drugs and alcohol, including HHS looking more at the medical "cost of the addict."

Kennedy said that HHS can look at the "collateral damage" in the health care system caused by addiction, including medical costs, lost jobs and inefficiencies. He said HHS is trying to look at the addict and follow them over the lifespan of their addiction.

The department iscurrently doing pilot programsconsisting of early interventions, confronting addicts on the street, getting them out of crisis and into treatment, helping them find a job once sober and stabilizing them, according to the HHS secretary.

"HHS is delivering on our promise to the American people for a healthier, brighter future," Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement about the $100 million pilot initiative. "Through this pilot program, we are launching a comprehensive, integrated care model that not only cures HCV but also tackles critical risk factors like substance use, mental health challenges, and homelessness head-on."

When did RFK Jr. first use drugs?

By Kennedy's own account, his first experience with drugs happened in the summer following the1968 assassination of his father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. He said he took the hallucinogen LSD at a party, and was introduced to opioids by his neighbors while walking home later that day.

"They said, 'Try this,' and it was a line of crystal meth," he said during his speech at the Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville in April 2025. "I took it, and all my problems went away. My addiction came on full force. By the end of the summer, I was shooting heroin, which was my drug of choice the next 14 years."

Also during the speech, Kennedy spoke about how hispolicy perspectives were influencedby the 14-year heroin addiction he overcame.

"I know that the only way I stay sober is through taking responsibility for my daily actions," Kennedy said at the time. "I accept the things I can't control and try to practice gratitude for them. I can have control over my behavior, my daily conduct, but not the world around me."

Watch RFK Jr. on Theo Von's 'This Past Weekend' podcast

Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr./ USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:RFK Jr. should 'resign' after cocaine remark, health care group says

The Cougars (23-2, 11-1 Big 12) relied on their defense to limit Kansas State to just five field goals in the first half and scored the final 13 points on the way to a 33-19 lead at halftime. Houston was up by 14 points despite missing 23 of their 33 shots over the first 20 minutes.

Houston increased the margin to 24 in the second half when Chris Cenac Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 16:41 to play. But the Wildcats refused to go away, pulling to within 59-49 on Nate Johnson's basket from beyond the arc with 7:06 left.

That's as close as Kansas State would get as the Cougars extended their overall winning streak to six games and have captured 18 straight and 51 of their last 52 contests at home.

Milos Uzan and Kingston Flemings added 12 points each for Houston, whose next three games are against teams ranked in the top 10 beginning with No. 5 Iowa State on the road on Monday. The Cougars shot 53.8% in the second half.

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P.J. Haggerty led the Wildcats with 23 points while Johnson had 12 and Taj Manning scored 10. Kansas State (10-15, 1-11 Big 12) dropped its sixth game in a row.

The Cougars survived a ragged offensive beginning, missing 11 straight shots from the floor after scoring the game's opening basket and falling behind 9-3. Houston snapped that swoon when Sharp canned a 3-pointer with 12:47 left but still trailed 15-6 after Haggerty poured in a 3-pointer with 11:35 to play in the half.

Houston finally found its collective stride, running off 13 of the ensuing 14 points to take the lead at 19-16 on Kalifa Sakho's dunk with 6:48 left until halftime. Uzan's third-chance 3-pointer 4:06 before halftime stoked the Cougars' lead to six points, and Houston extended its run through the rest of the half, getting two free throws by Flemings with 5.1 seconds left to carry a 33-19 lead to the break.

Sharp led all scorers with 14 points before halftime while Houston shot just 30.3% from the floor for the half. Haggerty's eight points paced the Wildcats, who made only 20.8 percent of their field goals -- missing their final 10 shots of the half -- and going scoreless over the final 5:24 before the break.

--Field Level Media

Isaiah Evans scored 17 points and Cayden Boozer added 12 for the Blue Devils (23-2, 12-1 ACC), who pulled away early in the second half courtesy of a strong defensive performance. Duke has won back-to-back games since last weekend's last-second loss at North Carolina.

Carter Welling (12 points) and RJ Godfrey (10 points) paced Clemson (20-6, 10-3), which began the week with a chance to move atop the ACC standings. Instead, the Tigers suffered an upset loss to Virginia Tech on Wednesday at home before losing on Duke's home floor for the 22nd time in a row dating back to 1996.

Clemson finished at 35.1% from the field, including 6-for-24 on 3-point attempts.

Cooper Flagg, the National Player of the Year as a Duke freshman last season, was among those in attendance at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He saw the Blue Devils made 10 3-pointers for their first double-figure total since Jan. 10 vs. SMU.

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Duke scored the first eight points of the second half -- five from Evans -- for a 38-26 lead. The margin grew to 52-31 as Clemson missed its first six shots of the second half and went just 2-for-15 in the first eight-plus minutes of the second half.

Duke made five 3-point shots in the game's first 13 minutes while Clemson was 0-for-4 at that juncture. But the Blue Devils were aiming for perimeter production, taking 17 of their first 23 shots from beyond the arc.

Duke stretched its lead to 28-20 on Evans' 3-pointer with 3:58 left in the half, which forced Clemson to call timeout. The Tigers pulled within 31-26 by halftime despite 1-for-9 shooting on 3-point tries.

Duke center Patrick Ngongba II, whose status had been in doubt because of a wrist injury, started but played only four first-half minutes after picking up two fouls. He finished with six points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.

--Field Level Media