SC's Tim Scott comments on racist meme shared by White House
Trump shared a video that included an altered image of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Post and Courier is an established regional newspaper with an identified reporter and direct reporting. The article attributes statements to named sources and identifies Politico as a source for the White House’s account.
- Source type — Established local newspaper with a regional reporting operation.
- Author attribution — A named reporter is credited, with contact information.
- Transparency — The article identifies its source for the White House account and quotes named speakers.
The article provides specific details about the video and includes statements from Scott, the White House press secretary, Mulvaney and Clyburn. It also gives relevant context about Scott’s previous criticisms of Trump, though the account relies heavily on public statements and does not include an additional response from Scott’s team.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents Scott’s condemnation alongside the White House press secretary’s explanation and response, as well as comments from other public figures. It does not include a direct explanation from Trump.
- Counterarguments presented — Leavitt acknowledges the video, describes its source and criticizes the reaction to it.
- Source diversity — Includes statements from Scott, Leavitt, Mulvaney and Clyburn.
- Omitted context — No direct response from Trump appears in the article.
The article reports the criticism and the White House’s response in attributed language, with no discernible partisan framing.
- Language tone — Mostly factual language; evaluative descriptions are attributed to speakers.
- Source selection — Includes Scott, the White House press secretary, and other public figures commenting on the video.
- Framing — Centers on Scott’s response while also explaining the White House’s account of the source video.
Sen. Tim Scott condemned a video shared by President Donald Trump that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, calling it racist and urging its removal. The video was later deleted, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it came from a longer internet meme.
Scott criticized the video in a social media post the morning after Trump shared it, calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” and saying the president should remove it. The video included an altered image of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes near its end. It was later removed without explanation or apology.
Leavitt acknowledged the video and said it was sourced from a longer meme depicting Trump as the King of the Jungle; she also called the criticism “fake outrage.” Former South Carolina congressman Mick Mulvaney praised the removal, and Rep. Jim Clyburn called the image “flatout vile and racist.”
Community verdict
19 VOTESCounts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 16
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Votes cast on this page: ▲ 0 · ◆ 0 · ▼ 0
People in this story
SWIPE →Senator who condemned the video and called for its removal
Scott's version of this story ↗Senator mentioned in connection with Scott’s earlier criticism of Trump
Former president referenced in connection with the 2020 election
House Minority Leader depicted as a character in the longer meme video
Representative who condemned the video after it was removed
Former South Carolina congressman who praised the video’s removal
White House press secretary who acknowledged the video and responded to criticism
Part of a bigger story
15 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Trump shared a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes and that the post was later removed. Their coverage also reports criticism from lawmakers, including Republicans. Left-leaning outlets foreground lawmakers’ condemnation and use more explicitly critical language. Center outlets report criticism alongside White House explanations and a range of lawmakers’ reactions. Right-leaning outlets similarly pair Tim Scott’s criticism with the White House’s explanation and an adviser’s account, rather than adopting the condemnatory language.
- ARTICLES
- 16
- OUTLETS
- 15
- AVG CRED
- 68
- Yahoo News · Thomas Massie condemns Trump for 'racist' post showing Obamas as apes
- deadlinedetroit.com · Deadline Detroit | Republican John James on Trump's Racist Posting: 'I'm Glad to See That Trash Has Been Taken Down'
- Winnipeg Free Press · Congressional Black Caucus chair says Trump's post on the Obamas shows a 'bigoted and racist regime'
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