A house RESOLUTION

 

to condemn President Donald J. Trump's racist social media post depicting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes; to expressly declare such comparisons to be racist, dehumanizing, and incompatible with the principles of equality and human dignity; to denounce the use of racist imagery by any public official, particularly by one occupying the highest office in the nation; and to reaffirm south carolina's commitment to rejecting racism in all forms and defending the equal worth of all people.

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives recognizes that the words and actions of a President of the United States carry profound moral and social consequences; and

 

Whereas, racist language and imagery have historically been used to demean, dehumanize, and justify discrimination against African Americans; and

 

Whereas, among the most notorious and offensive forms of racist expression is the comparison of Black individuals to apes or other animals, a practice rooted in white supremacist ideology and racial dehumanization; and

 

Whereas, on February 5, 2026, President Donald J. Trump shared and amplified a social media post depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes; and

 

Whereas, the House of Representatives finds that this comparison is racist in both intent and effect, as it invokes a historically recognized form of racial degradation directed at African Americans; and

 

Whereas, such conduct by a sitting President demeans not only the individuals targeted, but also the office of the presidency and the millions of Americans who identify with those targeted; and

 

Whereas, President Barack Obama served two terms as president of the United States, and Michelle Obama served as first lady with dignity and distinction, and both are deserving of respect regardless of political disagreement; and

 

Whereas, South Carolina's own history obligates its lawmakers to confront racism openly and unequivocally rather than minimize or excuse it; and

 

Whereas, failing to condemn racist conduct risks normalizing language that endangers social cohesion and equal protection under the law. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, condemn President Donald J. Trump's racist social media post depicting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes; expressly declare such comparisons to be racist, dehumanizing, and incompatible with the principles of equality and human dignity; denounce the use of racist imagery by any public official, particularly by one occupying the highest office in the nation; and reaffirm their commitment to rejecting racism in all forms and defending the equal worth of all people.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Office of the President of the United States and to the South Carolina Congressional Delegation.

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