I have a feeling we are finally going to get to the bottom of who is actually running Trump’s social media accounts.
We have seen some gaffes before in his posts with spelling and insults, but the latest meme had people on both sides of the aisle riled up.
The meme was deleted, and when Trump was asked about it, he claimed he never saw it.
The posted meme was reportedly a spoof on “The Lion King,” which featured Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) was among the first to call out Trump, responding, "Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it."
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) was also critical, stating, "This is totally unacceptable. The president should take it down and apologize." He was not alone, as Democrats went ballistic and numerous Republicans demanded an explanation.
For example, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated, "Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, envious man.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed it all as a nothing burger, with a Trump adviser claiming that Trump did not approve the meme and he did not see it.
Comedian and TV host Bill Maher slammed the White House for the excuse, calling it “lame” as well as calling the White House a bunch of “f***ing hypocrites.”
He stated, “But the defense, I thought, from the administration was rather lame. They said he did not mean to hit share. He meant to hit like. … [Leavitt] said the president was just reposting a meme of him as the king of the jungle with Democrats as characters from ‘The Lion King,’ as world leaders do.”
He continued, “Of course, there’s two things a little wrong with this one. There are no apes in ‘The Lion King.’ And two, if it’s a cartoon character, it’s OK? That’s a rule now? If it’s a cartoon, it’s OK to do anything?”
Now, I would not say that Maher has supported Trump, but he has called out Democrats when they were over the top. With his following, it’s significant that he is calling out the White House on this.
This being Black History Month, the timing of this could not be worse for Trump. And when Trump was asked if he would apologize for the mistake, Trump refused, stating, "I didn't make a mistake.”
I have believed for some time that Stephen Cheung is the mastermind behind Trump’s social media posts, and if he is, or whoever it is, they should be disciplined for this. We all know “apology” is not in Trump’s vocabulary, but a firing would send the same message. Instead, Trump went on a rant about how he is the "least racist president you've had in a long time." He also stated that he talked to Sen. Scott, who is black, and said that Scott understood the error.
I know some of you may think I am going overboard in suggesting someone be fired over this, but we really need to think big picture here. That meme will be pasted all over the place during the election season, as will Trump refusing to apologize and saying he is the least racist president. If this were a first-time error, I would say a suspension and apology by the staffer, but whoever is running Trump’s social media is a problem, in my opinion.
The posts are sloppy, controversial, and this is not the first time a racist post has been made, as well as some racist accounts having been reposted from time to time. You don’t have to agree with me, but just appreciate the fact that I am looking at the overall picture and not just Trump having to eat some crow. He doesn’t even have to eat it, but the staffer who sent out that post surely does.
