Category: Racist: African-American

Trump posts a doctored photo portraying Obamas boarding Air Force One spray-painted with graffiti | PBS News

President Trump posted a doctored image on Truth Social Sunday depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One with the aircraft spray-painted with graffiti including the phrase "Yes We Can," "Obama," "BLM," and Arabic text reading "alhamdulillah" (praise be to God). The use of graffiti as a visual device carries a long history as a coded racist message associating Black people with crime and urban decay.

This fabricated image follows Trump's February post during Black History Month depicting the Obamas as primates in a jungle setting, which was deleted after bipartisan condemnation from civil rights leaders and Republican senators. Trump refused to apologize for that post and blamed staff for its creation. The new doctored photograph represents an escalation in Trump's pattern of sustained personal attacks on the former president and first lady using incendiary and racist rhetoric.

The timing of Sunday's post is particularly inflammatory given that Trump last week took his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One, a $400 million retrofitted Boeing 747-800 gifted by Qatar, redesigned with Trump's preferred navy-blue and red and gold color scheme replacing the aircraft's historic light blue hull. Trump posted the doctored image while at his Virginia golf club after spending Saturday celebrating Independence Day and the nation's 250th anniversary at the National Mall.

The post was one of multiple Sunday messages on Truth Social including a doctored image of Obama's presidential library in Chicago depicting it as surrounded by garbage and wasteland, which Trump posted twice last month with the caption "The Obama Library ten years from now will be a 'Mecca' for those who hate America!" Trump has consistently attacked the Obama library in public remarks.

Trump's Sunday posts also included a fabricated image of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni positioned beneath him with text reading "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED," falsely suggesting she pursued him for photographs during the recent Group of Seven summit. Meloni responded by calling Trump's account "completely fabricated," stating "Italy and I never beg," while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled a planned trip to Washington. Trump departs Monday for Turkey to attend a NATO summit with allied leaders.

(Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-posts-a-doctored-photo-portraying-obamas-boarding-air-force-one-spray-painted-with-graffiti?fbclid=IwdGRjcAS42OlwZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKC0BmgfJJiw6Gt0lOSLLuSnuhx2tGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4wM5o_UQRWJutaJAZWWl404hZoJ0kbaFOXKsob9042I3coDv_2sLgZv4aEZw_aem_c6YpIXQxJj_F6kzXPPQbGw)

Trump Promotes Slave Owner Statue Near White House

President Donald Trump promoted the installation of a statue honoring Caesar Rodney, a Founding Father and slave owner, near the White House at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. Trump posted on Truth Social celebrating Rodney’s midnight ride to cast the deciding vote for independence on July 2, 1776, and urged Americans to visit the statue. The bronze equestrian figure, which dates to 1923 and was removed from Wilmington, Delaware in 2020 during protests following George Floyd’s killing, was restored to public display in April at a cost exceeding $527,226 under an expedited no-bid contract administered by the National Park Service.

Rodney enslaved as many as 200 people after inheriting his father’s plantation, according to historical records, though he introduced legislation to prohibit slave importation into Delaware. City officials removed the statue in 2020 to facilitate discussion about the public display of historical figures with records of slavery and racial injustice. Trump responded by denouncing the removal as a “radical purge” and “extreme anti-American historical revisionism,” framing efforts to contextualize or relocate statues of slaveholders as erasure of history.

Trump has directed a systematic campaign to reshape how American history is presented in federal institutions through executive orders targeting what he describes as “corrosive” content. The Interior Department has been ordered to remove historical information about slavery and immigration from sites including Bunker Hill Monument in Massachusetts, while signage addressing Native American history and climate science at national parks has been targeted for elimination. These actions contradict documented historical facts and obscure ongoing impacts of slavery and colonial violence on the nation’s founding and development.

The statue’s reinstatement occurs within a broader installation titled “Spirit of 76” at Freedom Plaza that includes a 23-foot “Spirit of Liberty” sculpture and representations of Revolutionary War soldiers. The project exemplifies Trump’s strategy to control historical narrative by centralizing monuments to figures who enslaved Black Americans while erasing contextual information about slavery’s role in American history. The restoration demonstrates how Trump uses federal resources and authority to advance revisionist historical framing aligned with his political objectives.



(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-caesar-rodney-statue-slave-owner-washington-dc-b3008893.html)

Trump Admits Inventing Black Jobless Record Low Claim

President Donald Trump claimed at a Wisconsin event on June 5, 2026, that Black unemployment had reached record lows, then immediately acknowledged he did not know where the statistic originated. Federal data contradicts the claim: the Black unemployment rate stood at 6.6% in May 2026, higher than the 6.2% rate Trump inherited upon taking office in January 2025 and far above the actual record low of 4.8% set under President Joe Biden in April 2023. The claim represents another instance of Trump deploying fabricated statistics to misrepresent economic conditions.

Trump stated, “African American unemployment is now doing better than it’s ever done. And I don’t know where that stat came from, but I’ll take it.” The 6.6% May rate exceeded every monthly rate from March 2022 through December 2024 under Biden and remained above the 5.3% low set during Trump’s first term in 2019. Even the month-to-month improvement Trump referenced, a 0.7-percentage-point decline from April to May 2026, was not unprecedented; a 0.9-point decline occurred under Biden from March to April 2024.

Trump made multiple other false economic claims at the Wisconsin event without questioning their accuracy. He repeated the claim that “$18 trillion” is being invested in the country, a figure the White House’s own website contradicted by citing “$10.6 trillion” for “major investment announcements.” Trump asserted that “25 million” migrants entered the country under Biden; federal records documented under 11 million “encounters” during the Biden administration, with an estimated 2.2 million additional “gotaways” who evaded detection, making the figure nowhere near Trump’s number.

Trump also repeated the false claim that “the Biden administration had the worst inflation in the history of our country.” Peak Biden-era inflation reached 9.1% in June 2022, representing the highest rate in 40 to 41 years, not in U.S. history. The actual all-time high was 23.7% in 1920, and President Jimmy Carter’s peak inflation was 14.8% in 1980. Inflation had declined to 3% by January 2025, when Trump took office.

The White House did not respond to CNN’s requests for explanation of Trump’s Black unemployment claim sent Friday evening and Saturday morning. Trump’s pattern of advancing unverified or demonstrably false economic statistics while sometimes publicly questioning their origin reflects his consistent use of fabricated data to misrepresent his economic record and that of his predecessor.(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/06/politics/fact-check-trump-black-unemployment)

Pete Hegseth Blocks Black and Female Navy Officers from Getting Promotions: Report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked promotions for at least seven Navy officers in May 2026, including two women and two Black men, according to reporting by The New York Times on June 1. Three additional officers removed from the promotion list were white men. The blocking contradicts the stated composition of the Navy, where women comprise approximately 21% of active-duty personnel and about 38% identify as racial minorities, yet the May promotion list included no female officers and only two nonwhite officers.

Four current and former defense officials characterized Hegseth's actions as "highly unusual." This pattern aligns with reporting from NBC News in April, citing nine U.S. officials, that Hegseth blocked or delayed promotions across all military branches based on officers' "race, gender or perceived affiliation with [former President Joe] Biden administration policies or officials." In March, The New York Times documented Hegseth blocking promotions of two women Army officers and two Black Army officers to one-star general ranks.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denied the report, calling The New York Times "race-baiting garbage" and claiming the outlet views "almost everything through the lens of race and gender over merit." Parnell stated that "military promotions are given to those who have earned them" and asserted the Department will never consider "the color of a service member's skin or their gender as a factor in promotions." These denials came despite the documented pattern of exclusions.

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, a Democrat, directly attributed the removals to Hegseth's ideological targeting. Smith stated in April that Hegseth has "oust[ed] numerous decorated, knowledgeable, and well-respected U.S. military leaders" and "continue[s] to target others in the department who appear to pose a challenge to him personally or don't fit his world view rather than letting merit and competence determine promotions." Smith warned the actions "threaten the stability of our armed forces" and "erode the non-partisan role of the military."

Hegseth's removals form part of a broader pattern of institutional control consistent with efforts to restrict press access to Pentagon operations and consolidate loyalty within the defense apparatus. These personnel decisions demonstrate the use of military authority to enforce ideological conformity rather than merit-based advancement.

(Source: https://people.com/pete-hegseth-blocks-black-and-female-navy-officers-from-receiving-promotions-report-11988460?utm_campaign=peoplemagazine&utm_content=photo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=6a1e215499519100013f9925&fbclid=IwdGRjcASLs9JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeIbFKNfkDxLmkNcnnWrrCrZ2LoFJkdKXsd1PjTri2IF8qGLfzwfgr-Gk_ws0_aem_YSm1EWQnHrlm8PnYzAlpWQ)

Trump Demands GOP Gerrymander Elections Amid Approval Collapse

Trump publicly urged Republican state legislatures to maximize racial gerrymandering following a Supreme Court decision that gutted protections against it. On Truth Social, Trump demanded GOP legislatures seize the opportunity, falsely claiming gerrymandering would net an additional 20 congressional seats in the midterms, conflating the current cycle with the next one without acknowledging the deception underlying his scheme to consolidate power as his approval ratings collapse to historic lows.

Trump’s call for systematic gerrymandering exposes his authoritarian intent to maintain Republican control regardless of voter preference. His net approval has reached a new low while disapproval hit a record high, yet he continues pushing antidemocratic tactics to offset cratering public support rather than adjusting his agenda to reflect constituent demands.

Fair Fight Action and voting rights advocates have documented that Democrats possess the capacity to undertake retaliatory redistrictings to neutralize GOP advantages created through gerrymandering. The strategic roadmap exists for Democrats to match Republican abuse of redistricting power, though the fundamental issue remains Trump’s explicit orchestration of electoral manipulation to guarantee one-party rule.

Trump’s demand for gerrymandering represents a direct assault on democratic representation and majority rule. His coordinated purge of Indiana Republicans who opposed gerrymandering demonstrates his willingness to eliminate party members who refuse to participate in his antidemocratic schemes, enforcing absolute loyalty to his power consolidation strategy.

The Supreme Court’s decision to allow states broader latitude in redistricting has enabled Trump to openly coordinate a nationwide effort to rig electoral maps in Republican favor. His stated regret about not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines after 2020 demonstrates a continuous pattern of pursuing authoritarian measures to override democratic outcomes when electoral results threaten his control.

(Source: https://newrepublic.com/article/209932/confused-trump-openly-admits-plot-rig-midterms-polls-turn-brutal?utm_campaign=SF_TNR&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRleARoJ8ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEemSXZeap4xUm991Vl5RQmMxwUvgmormXLpYfsW6ypZDb2debTm5bgYH1HcHo_aem_slcdPJ-9b3CTP0x6UFGe1Q)

Trump Demands Jeffries Expulsion Over Supreme Court Criticism

Donald Trump, the current President of the United States, demanded House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries be removed from Congress after Jeffries criticized the Supreme Court’s decision voiding Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district as “illegitimate.” Trump posted on Truth Social that Jeffries, whom he called “a Low IQ individual,” should face impeachment, falsely claiming representatives can be impeached when the Constitution permits only expulsion by two-thirds vote of the House.

Jeffries attacked the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling, which eliminated the district that Chief Justice John Roberts characterized as a “snake” created along racial lines and Justice Samuel Alito deemed an “unconstitutional gerrymander.” Jeffries stated the decision helps Trump “scheme to suppress the vote and rig” midterm elections and called it “the Trump Court” rather than the Roberts Court. Trump celebrated the ruling on Wednesday, calling it the “kind of ruling I like,” directly contradicting his subsequent demand to punish Jeffries for questioning it.

Trump’s attack on Jeffries deploys racist language consistent with his documented pattern targeting African Americans with dehumanizing terms. A Truthout examination found that 8 in 10 posts by Trump calling someone “Low IQ” target a person of color, with communications experts identifying the term as “a racist dog whistle with a long history in the US.” Trump frequently uses such terms against Black political figures including Congresswoman Maxine Waters and TV host Don Lemon, focusing narrowly on intelligence while varying insults for others.

This assault on Jeffries violates the implicit agreement to moderate political discourse that followed a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Trump’s demand to expel a Democratic lawmaker for legitimate criticism of the judiciary demonstrates authoritarian abuse of power and his refusal to acknowledge the connection between his own inflammatory rhetoric and the climate of hostility endangering political figures.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-calls-for-hakeem-jeffries-to-be-impeached-for-bashing-illegitimate-supreme-court-why-not/)

Trump Blurts Loaded Attack on Top Dem Hakeem Jeffries

President Donald Trump attacked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Truth Social Friday night, calling him a "THUG" and "Low IQ Democrat Minority Leader" who is "a danger to our Country," accompanying the post with a photo of Jeffries holding a baseball bat. This attack occurred less than a week after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday prompted widespread calls for reducing heated political rhetoric, with the White House itself urging Democrats to abandon violent language.

President Trump frequently targets African Americans with controversial language, often referring to them as "low IQ" or "thugs." Such terms have been consistently used against figures like Congresswoman Maxine Waters and TV host Don Lemon, focusing primarily on their intelligence. Despite using various insults for others, Trump's criticisms of black individuals often emphasize intelligence alone, making his racial appeals overt. This pattern reflects a troubling tactic in Trump's rhetoric. A Truthout examination revealed that 8 in 10 posts by Trump calling someone "Low IQ" target a person of color. Communications experts describe this term as “a racist dog whistle with a long history in the US.”

The loaded language Trump deployed violates the implicit agreement to moderate discourse that followed the shooting incident. Trump used the terms "thug" and "Low IQ," which carry specific racial and dehumanizing connotations, according to NewNation White House Correspondent Kellie Meyer, who publicly criticized both the characterization and the photo choice. Meyer noted that Trump was labeling Jeffries a "danger" to the country while simultaneously the White House had demanded Democrats cease violent rhetoric.

The Truth Social post came hours after Trump delivered a speech in Florida that included an attack on Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) based on the discredited claim that she married her brother, a conspiracy theory debunked by independent fact-checkers and journalists. Trump's pattern of inflammatory rhetoric directed at Democratic leaders demonstrates his refusal to acknowledge the connection between his own language and the climate of hostility that precipitated the WHCD shooting.

The incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner occurred when suspect Cole Tomas Allen rushed through the security perimeter and allegedly opened fire, causing chaos before being taken into custody. Initial reports that Allen had been shot or killed proved inaccurate, and Trump was not injured in the incident.

Following the shooting, Democrats pushed back against the White House's selective calls for toning down rhetoric, pointing out that Republican and Trump-affiliated language had been equally or more inflammatory. Trump's Friday attack on Jeffries directly contradicts any commitment to reducing heated political discourse and exposes the administration's selective application of civility standards.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-blurts-loaded-attack-on-top-dem-amid-post-shooting-rhetoric-discourse/)

Trump Posts Fake Candace Owens ‘Vile Person of the Year’ Pic

President Donald Trump posted a fabricated TIME magazine cover on Truth Social on Friday depicting Republican commentator Candace Owens as “Vile Person of the Year,” accompanying the disinformation with repeated attacks calling her “an extremely low IQ individual.” The doctored image included false claims such as “0% fact check ratio on all credible fact checking sites” and “protects sex offenders,” designed to portray Owens in a deliberately negative manner.

Trump’s attack on Owens follows a pattern of personal insults he directed at her and other figures on April 9, when he posted that Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Owens, and Alex Jones all have “Low IQs” and are “stupid people.” His Friday post specifically referenced Owens’ promotion of a racist conspiracy theory about French First Lady Brigitte Macron, claiming without evidence that Macron was “secretly born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux,” a lie that has resulted in a lawsuit against Owens by the French president and first lady.

Owens responded to Trump’s attacks by mocking his age, writing on X, “It may be time to put Grandpa up in a home.” On an April 10 podcast, after Trump posted that Macron “is a far more beautiful woman than Candace,” Owens escalated her racist conspiracy theory by questioning whether Trump was gay for finding Macron attractive and repeating her false claim using the deadname “Jean-Michel Trogneux.”

The incident demonstrates Trump’s continued use of disinformation and personal attacks against critics, including those within his own political sphere. By creating and sharing a fake magazine cover with fabricated claims about Owens’ credibility, Trump engaged in the spread of false information while simultaneously attacking her intelligence in crude, schoolyard terms characteristic of his public rhetoric.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-shares-doctored-time-cover-of-low-iq-candace-owens-vile-person-of-the-year/)

Hegseth has intervened in military promotions for more than a dozen senior officers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has systematically blocked or delayed promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across all four military branches, according to nine U.S. officials familiar with the process. Some officers targeted appear to have been singled out because of their race, gender, or perceived alignment with Biden administration policies. Hegseth refused to meet with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George when George requested discussion of the promotion blocks targeting women and Black men, and Hegseth subsequently fired George on Thursday.

Hegseth has cited officers’ past support for COVID-19 vaccines, mask mandates enacted during the Biden administration, affiliation with diversity, equity and inclusion programs, or association with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley as reasons for removal from promotion consideration. In recent weeks, Hegseth blocked three Marine officers—two women and a Black man—who were recommended for promotion by Marine Corps leadership and had no open investigations against them. A Navy list of officers selected for one-star admiral promotion has been held up for over a month, with concern that officers may be removed based on race or gender.

The Army’s promotion list included approximately 30 officers for one-star general positions; Hegseth removed four names before it reached the Senate in mid-March, striking two women and two Black officers without documented cause or investigation. Military law requires the president, not the defense secretary, to possess authority to block promotions, and a reason such as an ongoing investigation must be provided if removal occurs before White House transmission. The removed officers had deployed, performed their duties, and were combat-tested, yet Hegseth provided no explanation for their removal.

Defense secretaries typically do not remove officers from promotion lists or reject service branch recommendations, and this intervention violates longstanding military practice and law requiring promotions be based on individual merit. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the blocking “disgraceful” and “a complete betrayal of the merit-based promotion system.” A retired senior military officer warned that unexplained intervention in the promotion process will erode officer trust and create the perception that careers can be “politicized in a career-ending manner.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell disputed the reporting as “fake news from anonymous sources” and claimed promotions are based on merit. However, military demographics show active-duty forces are 80 percent male and 74 percent white among officers, while only 9 percent of officers are Black, indicating the concentration of promotion authority in Hegseth’s hands poses significant risk of abuse when applied selectively against officers from underrepresented groups.

(Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-intervened-military-promotions-dozen-senior-officers-rcna266062)

Hegseth Removes Black, Female Officers from General Promotion List

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed four Army officers from a one-star general promotion list without clear legal authority to do so. Two of the officers are Black and two are women from a list of approximately three dozen officers, predominantly white men. Hegseth had pressured Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll for months to strike the names, but Driscoll repeatedly refused based on the officers’ exemplary service records until Hegseth unilaterally removed them this month.

One Black officer was targeted for writing a paper nearly 15 years ago analyzing why African American officers historically pursued support roles over combat positions. A female logistics officer faced removal after serving in Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal, which Hegseth has condemned as “disastrous and embarrassing.” The reasons for removing the other two officers, a logistics officer and finance specialist, remain unclear. A fifth officer, Colonel Dave Butler, a white male spokesman for former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, resigned in February after repeated demands from Hegseth’s office for his removal.

Hegseth’s chief of staff, Ricky Buria, told Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events, according to three officials familiar with the exchange. Buria denied the account, calling it “completely false” and “made up.” Army Secretary Driscoll responded by telling Buria that Trump is “not a racist or sexist” and raised the issue with a White House official who agreed with his assessment, prompting Hegseth’s office to retreat on that particular case.

Hegseth’s personnel overhaul includes dismantling merit-based promotion safeguards, including shuttering the Command Assessment Program that used peer reviews and double-blind interviews to ensure all officers regardless of race or gender could compete fairly. Senior military officials question whether the officers are being singled out because of their race or gender, eroding confidence in a promotion system designed to be apolitical and merit-based. Military lawyers have debated whether Hegseth possesses legal authority to strike individual names from the list, as regulations allow him only to reject or accept the entire list.

Hegseth has fired or sidelined at least two dozen generals and admirals since taking office, including General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the second African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the Navy. Currently, the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, all five service chiefs, and nine of the military’s ten combatant commanders are white men, reversing years of diversification efforts under former Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/hegseth-promotion-list.html)

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