Barack Obama has addressed the racist video that President Donald Trump posted, in which he and Michelle Obama are depicted as apes, calling out the lack of “shame” he feels from people who used to have “respect for the office.” But he doesn’t believe Trump’s actions reflect the American people.
In an interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen yesterday (Feb. 14), the former president expressed that he believes most Americans do not cosign racist actions like Trump’s now-deleted Truth Social video, despite what is shown in the media.
“It’s important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” the first Black president said. “It is true that it gets attention, that it’s a distraction. But as I’m traveling around the country, you meet people… they still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness. And there’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television.”
President Trump has only doubled down on the video, even though it has been removed from his social media account. When speaking to reporters earlier this week, he said that the White House staffer he claims posted the video would not be disciplined, and that the purpose of the video was to address voter fraud. He also posted photos and videos of himself with Black public figures on Truth Social.
Obama noted that there has been a change from people who would not have previously tolerated the racist video, though he didn’t name which people in particular.
“And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and the sense of propriety and respect for the office. That’s been lost,” he said. “But the reason I point out that I don’t think the majority of the American people approve of this is that ultimately the answer is going to come from the American people.”
He continued, discussing as an example how people in Minnesota, specifically Minneapolis and St. Paul, have been protesting and organizing against federal immigration agents in their communities.
“We should take a moment to appreciate the extraordinary outpouring of organizing, community building, decency,” he said. “Neighbors buying groceries for folks, accompanying children to school, teachers who were standing up for their kids. Not just randomly, but in a systematic, organized way. Citizens saying, ‘This is not the America we believe in.'”
