Trump Removes Racist Post About Obamas After Fierce Backlash
President Trump recently posted a racist video on his Truth Social account, which depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. The video, set to the song ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight,’ was met with immediate and fierce backlash from both Democrats and Republicans, including civil rights leaders and several Republican senators.
The backlash was swift and highly public, with many criticizing the racist trope of depicting Black people as apes. The timing of the post, which came during the first week of Black History Month, was also widely condemned.
Initially, the White House defended the post, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissing the criticism as ‘fake outrage.’ However, after a flood of bipartisan condemnation, the White House announced that the video had been taken down and blamed a staffer for posting it ‘erroneously.’
The incident has sparked calls for a formal apology, with many criticizing Trump’s actions as ‘disgusting and utterly despicable.’ The removal of the post has been seen as a rare instance of the White House reversing its stance in the face of criticism.
Sources
- KATU – ‘Trump’s racist post about Obamas deleted after backlash’
- Fortune – ‘Trump’s racist post about Obamas is deleted after bipartisan backlash’
- KSBW – ‘President Trump deletes racist video depicting Obamas as apes’
- PBS NewsHour – ‘Trump shares a racist video that depicts the Obamas as primates’
- AP News – ‘Trump’s racist video of Obamas deleted after backlash’
- DW.com – ‘Trump removes racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama after White House initially defended it’
- BBC – ‘Trump removes video with racist clip depicting Obamas as apes’
- NPR – ‘Trump posts racist meme of the Obamas — then deletes it’