Congressman Cohen Introduces Resolution to Censure Trump for Racist Post Depicting the Obamas

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced a resolution to condemn and censure President Donald Trump for a social media post shared on February 5 that included a racist image portraying former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

"Depicting our first Black President and First Lady in that manner was not an accident, not a joke, and not 'fake outrage'-it's racist, it's vile, and it disgraces our entire country," said Congressman Cohen. "Deleting the post only proves that he knew exactly how vile it was. He doesn't regret it-he regrets getting called out on it. Members of the House have a duty to stand up and push back when a President uses his platform to spread bigotry and degrade Americans on the basis of race, and that's what I'm doing. This resolution censures and condemns Donald Trump for this repugnant post and calls on him to apologize to the Obamas and to the country."

On the night of February 5, 2026, President Trump reposted a 62-second video promoting false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election that also included a depiction of the Obamas as primates-a widely recognized racist trope. The post drew bipartisan condemnation, including from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who urged Trump to remove it.

White House officials initially dismissed public backlash as "fake outrage" before later attributing the post to a staffer and deleting it hours later. Trump has claimed he did not watch the full video before it was posted and has refused to apologize.

Congressman Cohen's resolution outlines that:

• President Trump used his platform to amplify election lies alongside racist imagery depicting the Obamas as primates-a deliberate dehumanizing smear.
• The depiction invoked a longstanding, well-understood racist trope used to dehumanize Black Americans-conduct wholly inconsistent with the dignity and responsibility of the presidency.
• The post drew bipartisan condemnation, including from Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who said he was "praying it was fake" because it was "the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House," and urged that it be removed.
• When first confronted, White House officials defended the post and dismissed public outrage as "fake outrage," rather than immediately condemning the racist imagery.
• After hours of widespread backlash from lawmakers and civil rights organizations, the post was ultimately removed-but President Trump has refused to apologize.
• The resolution states that if a staff member posted the content without review, that staffer should be admonished-but regardless, the President is responsible for what is amplified through his official platform.
• The resolution formally condemns and censures President Trump for the post and calls on him to apologize for conduct that disgraced the Office of the President and dishonored the United States.

To read the full text of Congressman Cohen's resolution, click here

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