Outrage at Trump's racist post shows he is not immune to rules of politics

President, who gets away with most things, forced to delete clip of Obamas as apes

- Erica L. Green

US President Donald Trump has seemed immune to the usual rules of politics.

The man who once boasted that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” without losing support from voters regularly shatters political and legal norms at home and abroad, with few obvious consequences.

However, every once in a while, Mr Trump runs smack into whatever boundary remains and is forced to pull back, offering a glimpse into the country’s tolerance for his behaviour.

The chaotic White House response to a racist video clip of former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama that Mr Trump posted online was one moment when the administration realised that its usual reactions to criticism - laugh it off, double down, move on - would not work.

While Mr Trump does not, as a rule, acknowledge wrongdoing and did not in this case, either - he deleted the clip in the face of widespread outrage in what amounted to a remarkable climbdown.

“It is surprising, in itself, to ever see him take a step back to do anything other than, in the moment, double down and triple down, so in that sense it is surprising; it feels significant,” said Mr Jeff Shesol, a historian and former speechwriter for former president Bill Clinton who now serves as a partner at West Wing Writers, a speech writing and strategy firm in Washington.

Mr Trump still enjoys strong support from Republicans.