Unbothered Obamas Ignore Trump’s Trolling As…
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama broke their public silence for the first time since President Donald Trump confronted backlash for sharing a racist, AI-generated video depicting them as apes. Yet, they made no reference to the controversy.
Source: Anadolu / Getty
According to Newsweek, the Obamas instead used their social media platforms Friday night to precise assist for U.S. athletes competing in the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, selecting to not have interaction with the uproar surrounding the since-deleted video. Their resolution got here just hours after Trump eliminated the clip from his Truth Social account and later defended the publish without providing an apology.
Barack Obama congratulated Team USA in a publish on X, writing that he and Michelle had been happy with the athletes’ “talent and perseverance” and could be cheering them on. Michelle Obama echoed that message, calling the athletes’ journeys to the world stage “inspiring” as they competed in Italy. The omission was putting given that the video backlash dominated political dialog throughout the week.
While the Obamas stayed silent, Democratic leaders escalated their criticism, accusing the White House of trying to defend the president from accountability.
Harris: ‘No One Believes This Cover-Up’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris immediately challenged the White House’s clarification, accusing the administration of a cover-up after officers blamed a staffer for posting the video.
According to The Hill, Harris wrote on X that “no one believes this cover-up from the White House, especially since they originally defended the post,” including that the incident only bolstered what the public already is aware of about Trump’s beliefs.
The White House beforehand told The Hill that a staffer had “erroneously made the post,” a declare that adopted preliminary public protection of the video by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who described it as an “internet meme” associated to The Lion King.
The clarification did little to quiet criticism.
Jeffries Calls Video ‘Intentional,’ Urges GOP Leaders to Act
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries went additional, arguing that the video was posted intentionally and demanding that Republican management denounce the president.
In an Instagram publish and accompanying video cited by The Hill, Jeffries called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson to take a stand, warning that continued silence amounted to complicity.
“This disgusting video, posted by the so-called president, was done intentionally,” Jeffries said, including, “F— Donald Trump and his vile, racist, and malignant behavior.” He praised the Obamas as “brilliant, caring and patriotic Americans” while labeling Trump a “serial fraudster.”
Jeffries also condemned Republican lawmakers who continued to assist Trump, writing that “every Republican sycophant who continues to stand by their cult leader should be run out of office.”
Bipartisan Condemnation and Trump’s Defense
Despite Jeffries’ accusations, some Republicans joined Democrats in condemning the video. Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate and an in depth Trump ally, described the depiction of the Obamas as “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and called for its removing. The publish was scrubbed from Truth Social roughly two hours later.
Trump later confirmed aboard Air Force One that he spoke with Scott, claiming he had only seen the starting of the video and thought “it was fine.” He said he “of course” condemned the offensive imagery however insisted he didn’t make a mistake in having the video posted.
Other Republicans, including Representatives Mike Lawler and Brian Fitzpatrick, in addition to Senators Susan Collins and Roger Wicker, also raised issues.
Silence as Strategy
As criticism mounted, the Obamas’ refusal to interact turned a press release of its personal. Journalist Ahmed Hussein noticed on X that relatively than being “dragged into Trump’s provocation,” Obama “chose dignity over distraction,” redirecting the second towards unity and management.
What stays unresolved is whether or not the staffer blamed for posting the video will face any disciplinary action. For now, the administration has supplied no additional clarification.
The publish Unbothered Obamas Ignore Trump’s Trolling As Kamala Harris & Hakeem Jeffries Accuse White House Of ‘Cover-Up’ Over Racist Ape Video appeared first on Bossip.
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