Michael Eric Dyson tore into President Trump’s racist social media post that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.
The Vanderbilt University professor and Hip-Hop scholar called Trump’s actions calculated and disgusting. Dyson spoke to WGN News after Trump shared an AI-generated video showing the former first couple as primates. Trump posted the racist clip Thursday night on Truth Social. The video was part of a longer conspiracy theory rant about elections. But the Obama imagery drew immediate backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt first defended the post. She told reporters to “stop the fake outrage.” But hours later, she blamed a staffer and said the post was removed. Donald Trump refused to apologize when reporters asked him about it Friday night. He said he didn’t make a mistake.
The timing of Trump’s post made it even worse. February is Black History Month, making the racist imagery particularly offensive.