Trump posts racist image showing Obamas as apes
(Left to right) U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, former U.S. President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama attend the funeral service for former U.S. President George H. W. Bush at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, 2018.
Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images
President Donald Trump shared a racist image overnight showing former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama portrayed as apes.
The depiction of the Obamas, posted late Thursday from Trump’s official Truth Social account, was included in a video clip pushing a conspiracy theory about voting machines during the 2020 election.
The White House defended Trump’s post when asked for comment on Friday morning, though the sole Black Republican senator called for Trump to remove the post.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an emailed statement.
“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt’s reply included a link to a longer video posted Oct. 24 from a pro-Trump meme account on X.
In addition to showing the Obamas as apes, the full video shows other animals bearing the faces of prominent Democrats, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The press office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another Democrat mocked in the video, said on X: “Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”
Trump is depicted in that video as a lion. The song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by The Tokens plays in the background.
The Obama Foundation did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Trump’s opponents may seek to make the post an issue for the midterm election in November, though it’s still nine months away.
Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress have expressed worries that they will not be able to retain their slim majorities in both the House and Senate in November’s elections.
The NAACP, in a post on X, said, “Trump posting this video — especially during Black History Month— is a stark reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people. And we’ll remember that in November.”
Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who is Black and a close ally of Trump’s, blasted the image.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott wrote in a post on X.
“The President should remove it,” Scott wrote.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who is considered at risk of losing his seat in the House of Representatives in November’s election, criticized Trump’s post, saying on X: “The President’s post is wrong and incredibly offensive — whether intentional or a mistake — and should be deleted immediately with an apology offered.”
Democratic elected officials quickly called on other Republicans to condemn the post.
“President Obama and Michelle Obama are brilliant, compassionate and patriotic Americans,” Jeffries wrote on X. “They represent the best of this country. Donald Trump is a vile, unhinged and malignant bottom feeder.”
“Why are GOP leaders like John Thune continuing to stand by this sick individual? Every single Republican must immediately denounce Donald Trump’s disgusting bigotry,” Jeffries wrote, referring to the Senate majority leader.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., in her own post on X, said, “This kind of Jim Crow–style dehumanization is pathetic and a disgrace to the office.”
— Additional reporting by CNBC’s Dan Mangan
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