West Condemns Trump’s Racist Truth Social Post

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, is denouncing President Donald Trump’s racist social media post depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes by passing a formal resolution through the House chamber Wednesday.

“Black history is not an accessory to American history. Black history is American history,” said West. “And when racist rhetoric is encouraged and blatantly elevated by someone who holds the highest office in the land—this is not just offensive, it’s dangerous. Words shape culture, words shape policy and words left unchallenged shape a false narrative about who belongs and whose story matters in this nation.” 

Earlier this month, an artificial intelligence (AI) video was posted to the president’s Truth Social account depicting various Democratic elected officials and content creators as jungle animals. The Trump Administration claimed that the post was simply mirroring Disney’s The Lion King, although there were no apes in the film. The depiction of people of color as apes is a centuries’ old, well-known racial stereotype and caricature. The video has since been deleted from the president’s social media without an apology to the Obamas or anyone else depicted in the video, nor acknowledgement of the video’s inherently racist nature.

“This resolution makes clear that in Illinois, we will not participate in the federal administration’s erasure of truth, we will not allow history to be rewritten to make others comfortable and we will not be silenced when the dignity of our communities are undermined,” said West. 

West rose to share remarks and support for House Resolution 696 to honor the 100th anniversary of Black History Month and condemn the president’s racist rhetoric on the House floor. The resolution makes clear that this AI video is not the administration’s first overtly racist action, but one of its most recent efforts to diminish and sideline Americans of diverse backgrounds.

You can watch Rep. West’s full speech here.