Trump posts racist video of the Obamas

I can't believe anyone defending the president of the USA for posting a racist meme, because that is what it is. As others have said, the connection between black people being monkeys has been long paraded and no-one wouldn't get that link. Is this another attempt to distract from Epstein? What are the Republican party afraid of?

The depiction of a white person as an ape is usually considered to be a harsh insult or a generalised dehumanising attack. It does not carry the same specific historical baggage of systemic racism as it does when directed at black people.

What was the creators intention in using animal imagery for multiple Democrats- cant think of a positive or respectful reason myself. What was Trump's intention when he posted the video- can't think of a positive or respectful reason myself. Seems like the usual Trump provocative, denigrating stuff and in the case also racist.

But even regardless of intent, the act of using animalistic imagery to dehumanise a person is seen to be offensive. Whilst Trump may enjoy promoting his own image as "King of the jungle" clearly to depict multiple democrats in this animalistic way is offensive, and specifically the Obamas as monkeys is racist.

I can agree it’s offensive, but suspect anyone concerned will be able to laugh or shrug it off.It’s typical of Trump that he would enjoy it of course, that’s how childish he is.

There will always be a few, usually not Black people evidently , that don't understand the depiction of Black people as monkeys is racist- a sad reflection that there is still a way to go...particularly for the US President.

Trump is an internet troll, a horrible spiteful human being who enjoys being as nasty as possible to those he dislikes.
Never thought I would see a US President stoop as low as he has done.

BBC reporting he's taken it down.

theworriedwell

BBC reporting he's taken it down.

But not before countless people have seen it.

Yes I read that too on the BBC website Fallingstar which reported:

'Republican Senator Tim Scott - who is black - called for the president to remove the post, describing it as "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House”. Criticism also came from within Trump's own party. Senator Scott, a black South Carolina Republican and an ally of Trump, posted that he was "praying it was fake because it's the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House”. "The President should remove it," he added. Another Republican, New York representative Mike Lawler, called the post "wrong and incredibly offensive - whether intentional or a mistake" and said it "should be deleted immediately with an apology offered."

Good that at least some Republicans call out racism when they see it.

If a black political is calling the offensive cartoon out as being racist, then I accept his definition.

There’s a fine line between political satire and offensiveness.

The point of the video is to show Trump as the King and his opponents as lesser, subservient animals. Depicting Biden as an ape suggest the creator considers Trump superior in intellect.

Hakeem Jeffries, black Democrat Minority Leader of the House of Reprensentatives is depicted as a meerkat. What does that signify?

The video was posted three months ago and has been viewed 201K times on FB and presumably shared. Has it been a source of controversy in the USA for that long or only now because Trump has posted a clip?

Of couse, depicting black people as apes is racist but we know that Trump is a racist. It’s no surprise. We know too that he will do anything for publicity.

I was only thinking it’s been a quiet few days from him as controversy rages here over Mandelson. For weeks, Trump has dominated our news cycle - over Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, ICE.

This was probably done to seek attention. Yes, it’s grossly offensive but it makes no odds to him who he offends. I once heard a self-aware alpha narcissist saying that it would make no difference to him if someone said they loved him, baked him cake or set fire to a turd on his doorstep. What is important is that he knows he has that person’s attention.

And now Trump has our attention again. He’s stepped back over Greenland, Iran, ICE and he needs to be in the news again.

Best thing everyone could do is to ignore his antics. Yawn and say, That old thing, it’s been circulating for months … but of course that’s not how the media works. It and we play right into his hands and twisted mind every time.

Typical Trump response - he's now blamed someone else for the post. Infantile behaviour as usual. It would be laughable if he didn't have so much power over so many people.

I don't see how he could possibly have not seen it as deeply racist. How could he not have known?

I'm pleased he's been advised to take it down, but the message is loud and clear, isn't it? Unbelievable.

Oreo

That gives the whole thing more context Graphite 👍🏻

Like what?

This sort of racism has been around since at least the nineteenth century, and to repeat it is as bad as racism gets. Imagine the reaction if the sort of foul racism we witnessed against Jews during the 1930s was repeated by truth social. It is the same.

he is a disgusting orange muppet.

It is common knowledge that animal imagery is used to dehumanise groups of people. Does anyone remember Gary Lineker facing major criticism for including the image of a rat in a social media post because that was linked to antisemitic symbolism. Depicting black people as apes deserves the same outrage.

Untold millions of slaves died, from the foul trade and the type of racist propaganda put out as seeing them as non-human allowed this trade and deaths to be more acceptable, just as we saw the same happening in the 3rd Reich, with the Jews.

Oreo

I can agree it’s offensive, but suspect anyone concerned will be able to laugh or shrug it off.It’s typical of Trump that he would enjoy it of course, that’s how childish he is.

In the 30s Jews were frequently depicted as rats by the Nazis. It cannot be assumed that anyone depicted would “laugh it off”

Trump is trying to gaslight us all. Thankfully most of us can see through his attempts to DARVO* his way out of the vile things he posts online.

* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARVO

If Jewish people feel that using rats to depict them is racist, then believe them.
If black people feel that using monkeys to depict them is racist, then believe them.

Never laugh it off, the white supremicists are in deadly earnest.

Just ask Bannon and Miller etc.

Oreo

I can agree it’s offensive, but suspect anyone concerned will be able to laugh or shrug it off.It’s typical of Trump that he would enjoy it of course, that’s how childish he is.

I don't think any of the black people I know would be able to "shrug off" being depicted as an ape. They have had enough to put up with over the years, after all.

Funny how some people are supposed to laugh things off and others go completely crazy at the sight of a flag on a peaceful demonstration.

LemonJam

I am outraged and not in a fake way that Trump posts a video of himself as King/Lion of the jungle and Democrat individuals as lesser animals - specifically the Obamas as monkeys- a well known centuries old racist trope. He does not include any republicans at all in a lesser, racist way.

I disagree with Caroline Leavitt and think it is very sad that the US has sunk so low that it considers racist posts from its president are acceptable.

We're descended from a common ancestor with apes.

Lions, however, have not evolved as much and are still lions.

If he thinks lions are superior to apes he needs to have a rethink.
Apes are intelligent.
Lions are just predators.

Sago

Is there a link?

It’s been mentioned on the main news today.