Members of Michigan’s congressional delegation − Democrats and Republicans alike − roundly denounced a late-night social media post on President Donald Trump’s personal account Feb. 5 that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin called it “racist garbage” in a post on social media platform X on Friday, Feb. 6, as it began to be widely known, saying, “If you’re finding yourself defending it, you’re on the wrong side of history.” U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, of Ann Arbor, said, “The video Trump posted of Barack and Michelle Obama is beyond disgusting, blatantly racist and a disgrace to the office.”
And Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, of Charlotte, also didn’t wait for the White House to take down the Internet meme posted on Trump’s Truth Social account to voice his displeasure with it. “The social media post is offensive and inexcusable. It should be deleted immediately,” he told the Free Press.
The White House didn’t initially dispute that Trump had posted the video, which remained up until midday Friday and, according to USA Today, repeated unproven claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election before showing an animated clip that featured the faces of the Obamas on ape bodies. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended it, saying it was “an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from “The Lion King” and suggesting members of the media “stop the fake outrage.”
The linking of Black people with apes or monkeys has long been a racist trope that has been used to dehumanize people of color and justify slavery. Exacerbating concerns was the fact that Trump has purged the federal government of programs to diversify employment and recognize and address America’s treatment of Blacks during slavery and the Jim Crow era. February is also Black History Month in the U.S.
The post was later taken down and a White House official told USA Today and other media outlets that a staffer had erroneously put the images on Trump’s social media account. That only occurred, however, after not only Democrats but some key Republicans − including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, of South Carolina, who is a Trump ally and is Black, as well as others − excoriated the post on Friday.
On X, Scott said simply, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it.”
That appeared to open up the floodgates for Republicans across the country, and in Michigan, to denounce it. The only Black member of Michigan’s congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, posted on X that he was “shocked and appalled by that post.”
“I know the President. He is not racist,” wrote James, who is a leading contender for his party’s gubernatorial nomination this year. “I’m glad to see that trash has been taken down.”
U.S. Rep Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Township, told the Free Press, “This never should have been posted in the first place and I am glad it has been taken down.”
But as of 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, none of the other Republican members of Michigan’s congressional delegation had made any comment on social media or responded to a delegation-wide request to the Free Press. Trump did not immediately make himself available to answer media questions, including whether he disagreed with the posting and its message, whether any disciplinary action would be taken against the staffer and how many people at the White House are involved in making posts under his name to the Truth Social account.
Trump regularly uses the account on Truth Social, a media platform he owns, to comment on national and international events, announce policy, praise allies and criticize opponents. His Truth Social account is presented as if Trump himself is making most, if not all, of the comments and there is little if any indication of any other curator on the account, though Semafor, a political website in Washington, said a couple of close aides are believed to have access.
Democrats, meanwhile, continued to blast Trump for the message, whether he posted it personally or not.
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, of Detroit, called it “more disgusting racism from the white-supremacist-in-chief. It’s not a coincidence that he posted it during Black History Month. This is who the president is.” U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, also of Detroit, called it “appalling” and said it “outrages all decent Americans.” U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, of Birmingham, called the post “beyond disgusting, blatantly racist and a disgrace to the office.”
“This is disgusting, indefensible and blatantly racist,” Michigan U.S. Sen. Gary Peters said of the post.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This story has been updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan members of Congress blast Trump post of Obamas’ faces on apes
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
