CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Criticism is continuing after a social media post shared on President Donald Trumpโs Truth Social account sparked backlash from lawmakers across the political spectrum.
The post, which has since been deleted, is being widely condemned as racist by both Democrats and Republicans, with several members of Congress calling it unacceptable and urging accountability.
The original post included a minute-long video promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. At the end of the video was an image depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates โ imagery WCNC Charlotte has chosen not to show due to its offensive and dehumanizing nature.
Lawmakers who spoke on CNN did not mince words.
โIt is racist. Itโs shocking. Itโs sickening,โ said Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democrat from Maryland. โWe should all be disgusted by it.โ
Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of California also condemned the imagery, calling it โextremely offensiveโ and โcompletely inappropriate.โ
โIt has absolutely no place in our country,โ Kiley said. โIt goes 100% contrary to the values that all of us here share.โ
The post was deleted several hours later. The White House said a staffer had โerroneouslyโ posted the content.
Reaction came swiftly from South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who posted on X that he was โpraying it was fake,โ before adding that it was โthe most racist thing Iโve seen out of this White Houseโ and that the president should remove it.
Scott is the only Black Republican currently serving in the U.S. Senate and has frequently spoken about the need to confront racism while also promoting unity across political lines.
South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, a Democrat, also condemned the post, calling it โflat-out vile and racist.โ Clyburn said that even when later deleted, โthis kind of bigotry betrays our valuesโ and only spreads hatred and ridicule across the country.
Before the post was removed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the clip, claiming it was a meme intended to portray Trump as the โking of the jungle.โ
As of Tuesday, President Trump had not responded directly to Sen. Scottโs comments.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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