It’s about 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2012. I’m six years old, lying on my couch, watching President Barack Obama, who was reelected that very night, dance with his wife, Michelle Obama.
Months prior, I actively kept up with the election; watching the debates, inquiring about my parents’ ballots and making up my own campaign commercials that endorsed Obama and criticized Senator Mitt Romney, which my dad would constantly ask me to stop doing — because, yeah, it is uncomfortable hearing a six-year-old be so passionate about an election. Growing up, I had an uncle who had Obama stickers on his car, Obama merchandise in his home and photos of Obama on his wall.
Thinking back, I credit the 2012 election for who I am today. I declared a minor in political science in hopes of using it to amplify my degree in strategic communications and work in a newsroom like CNN. President Obama also meant representation for me. I truly didn’t know that I could be the president of the United States until my parents showed me his photo.
Naturally, on Feb. 5 of this year, I wasn’t pleased to see the headline regarding President Donald Trump making a post on Truth Social depicting the Obamas as apes, while promoting 2020 election fraud conspiracy theories.
When asked about the post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Deadline, “This is from an internet meme video.”
Trump claimed he “didn’t see the whole thing.” Later, he said he gave the post to someone else to publish.
Outrage was expressed from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who called for Trump to be investigated for his “potential involvement in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.” Disappointment also ensued by Republican Senator and Trump ally, Tim Scott, who stated on X, “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.”
After twelve hours, the video was removed. However, President Trump refused to make an apology or acknowledge the mistake.
This post landed as disrespectful because of the history of Black people being compared to apes or monkeys. James Bradley of the University of Melbourne sees this derogatory thought beginning with Charles Darwin’s 1859 theory of natural selection, which “showed that the closest ancestors of human beings were the great apes.”
When varieties such as eye and hair color come into play, individuals of Black and Aboriginal descent are deemed visually and evolutionarily closest to apes.
This incident adds on to Trump’s history of bullying and discrediting Obama through conspiracy theories, including his claim that Obama was not born in the United States and that he is a “secret muslim” further showcases his inability to simply leave Obama alone.
