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By Rachael O'Connor
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The White House has faced backlash for sharing a video that includes an unedited racial slur.
On January 3, the official X account for The White House shared a mock-up video featuring Venezuela's deposed President Nicolás Maduro.
It started with a video of Maduro speaking in Spanish and urging, "come get me," followed by a mashup of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring "if you don't know, now you know."
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It then showed an image of Maduro in U.S. custody, after President Donald Trump announced the Venezuelan and his wife had been "captured" following strikes on Venezuela on January 3.
Why It Matters
The White House edited the video to include part of the first verse from The Notorious B. I. G's track "Hypnotize," with lyrics including an expletive and a racial slur. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Warning: some readers may find language in the video below offensive.
As the video of Maduro and Rubio, followed by a clip of Trump, plays, so does music, with the lyrics: "Sicker than your average poppa twist cabbage off instinct/ N****s don't think s*** stink/ Pink gators, my Detroit players."
Officials also captioned the track: "If you don't know, now you know," referencing another Notorious B.I.G song, Juicy, and mirroring Rubio's comments in the clip.
The provocative nature of the video edit, combined with the racial slur and expletives, surprised viewers.
What People Are Saying
The post had a massive reaction, with 30 million views in the days since it was shared to X.
X user @Oilfield_Rando, who has indicated right-wing politics on their account, quoted the original video and wrote: "The White House official account just dropped an unedited [n-word] on the main, what a time to be alive." The post has more than 7.6 million views at the time of writing.
In response to the use of the unedited racial slur in the song on the official White House account, user @santQs_News, who has indicated right-wing politics on their account, said it was "absolutely insane."
On the original video, X user @EmmaKCoates, who has previously criticized Trump on their account, called the video "tacky," while user @dana_malcolmson, who has praised the Trump administration, wrote: "That's my president."
User @CharlesTMoran, who has indicated a right-wing preference on his account, said it was "amazing on so many levels," while Republican account @GOPSantaCruz said "there's a White House intern out there who deserves a raise."
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What To Know
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived in the United States on Saturday night after they were taken from Venezuela in an operation ordered by Trump.
The president has since said that the U.S. will run Venezuela and its oil production "until such time that we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," and will "make the people of Venezuela rich, independent and safe."
Maduro had claimed the attacks on the country were an attempt by the U.S. to take its natural resources and to seek regime change. He faces charges including narco-terrorism and conspiracy, according to a post from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The video of Maduro telling his enemies to "come and get me," translated from Spanish, continues with him saying: "I'll wait in Miraflores. Don't take too long. Coward."
What Happens Next
Maduro and Flores are in U.S. custody, facing criminal charges in connection with a Justice Department indictment.
Maduro is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Monday, January 5 at 12 p.m. ET. He will appear before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, according to NBC News.
Bondi has indicated that Maduro faces multiple charges, including Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.
Anti-war protests have been organized across the United States, from major cities to smaller communities, following the strikes on Venezuela.
Newsweek has contacted @Oilfield_Rando for comment on this story.
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