Donald Trump has caused another controversy after sharing a post of President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama depicted as apes. The president’s post was shared on Truth Social just before midnight on Feb. 5.
The 62-second video was about voting machines and voting fraud. Near the end, the Obamas’ faces appear on apes’ bodies. They appear to be in a jungle with apes flying in the background. In the background, The Tokens’ song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” plays.
The faces of other former President Joe Biden, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also appear on animals in the original video.
THE WHITE HOUSE CALLS THE CONTROVERSY ‘FAKE OUTRAGE’
Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, said in a statement that the image came from a social media meme.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” Leavitt said.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS SUING NIKE
The post follows the Trump administration’s claims that Nike discriminates against white employees. As WBLS reported, the administration is taking a deep dive into Nike’s business practices as part of the administration’s efforts to abolish DEI.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said on Wednesday that it had filed a court motion to compel Nike to produce information related to allegations of “intentional race discrimination” against white employees.
Despite no employees speaking out, the February 4 filing relates to a suspected pattern of discrimination in “hiring, promotion, demotion, or separation decisions, including selection for layoffs; internship programs; and mentoring, leadership development, and other career development programs.”
“The E.E.O.C. seeks information directly relevant to the allegations that Nike subjected white employees, applicants, and training program participants to disparate treatment based on race in various employment decisions, including layoffs, internship programs, mentoring, leadership development, and other career development programs,” the commission said in the motion.