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Maureen Dowd says Trump suffers from ‘Obama Derangement Syndrome’ after video controversy the hill
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd on Saturday said President Trump suffers from “Obama Derangement Syndrome” after controversy erupted Friday when a since-deleted racist video depicting former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes was posted on the commander in chief’s Truth Social account.
“It was at the end of a video filled with baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election,” Dowd wrote in her latest column. “The man who pushed the despicable ‘birther’ conspiracy is still at it, using a racist meme from a far-right Pepe-the-frog-loving acolyte.”
“Like many of Trump’s actions, it was both shocking and predictable,” she added.
Dowd said the White House deleted the video, which Democratic and some Republican lawmakers condemned, after officials “realized the outrage was real.”
“Officials blamed a staffer, though you know Trump was in on it,” she continued. “On Wednesday, he said he does ‘retruth’ conspiracy theories himself.”
The video repeated unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Trump and favored former President Biden. It then depicted several elected Democrats as animals while Trump’s head was superimposed over the body of a lion. The animals move and bounce to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” from “The Lion King.”
The Obamas appear toward the end of the video with their heads superimposed atop the bodies of apes as their heads bounce to the tune of the song.
Dowd noted the Times’s reporting that the president has a “‘history of making degrading remarks about people of color, women and immigrants,’ and the Obamas in particular, with ‘the White House, Labor Department and Homeland Security Department all having promoted posts that echo white supremacist messaging’ in his current term.”
The columnist called the White House’s initial defense of the video “pathetic.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the video an “internet meme” and urged reporter to “stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
“Well, Karoline,” Dowd wrote, “I think Americans do care that your boss is a racist and off his rocker.”
Dowd goes on to slam the president’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, calling it a “Dostoyevsky-esque moment” when he said he needed to win the 2020 election “for my own ego” and said, without evidence, that year’s election was “rigged.” She also denounced Trump’s reactions to questions about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final release of files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) implored Trump to take down the video after he called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Trump confirmed that they spoke and called Scott “a great guy.”
Trump said he watched the first part of the video before he passed it along to his staff, who did not vet it fully before posting it online. He said he “of course” condemned the racist part of the video but did not apologize that it was posted.
A White House official previously told The Hill that a staffer “erroneously” posted the video.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called on Republican leaders in Congress to denounce Trump after the video was posted. Jeffries wrote in an Instagram post featuring a video of his reaction to the video, “Every Republican sycophant who continues to stand by their cult leader should be run out of office.”
“This disgusting video, posted by the so-called president, was done intentionally,” Jeffries said in the video. “F— Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior. This guy in an unhinged bottom feeder.”
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd on Saturday said President Trump suffers from “Obama Derangement Syndrome” after controversy erupted Friday when a since-deleted racist video depicting former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes was posted on the commander in chief’s Truth Social account.
“It was at the end of a video filled with baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election,” Dowd wrote in her latest column. “The man who pushed the despicable ‘birther’ conspiracy is still at it, using a racist meme from a far-right Pepe-the-frog-loving acolyte.”
“Like many of Trump’s actions, it was both shocking and predictable,” she added.
Dowd said the White House deleted the video, which Democratic and some Republican lawmakers condemned, after officials “realized the outrage was real.”
“Officials blamed a staffer, though you know Trump was in on it,” she continued. “On Wednesday, he said he does ‘retruth’ conspiracy theories himself.”
The video repeated unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against Trump and favored former President Biden. It then depicted several elected Democrats as animals while Trump’s head was superimposed over the body of a lion. The animals move and bounce to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” from “The Lion King.”
The Obamas appear toward the end of the video with their heads superimposed atop the bodies of apes as their heads bounce to the tune of the song.
Dowd noted the Times’s reporting that the president has a “‘history of making degrading remarks about people of color, women and immigrants,’ and the Obamas in particular, with ‘the White House, Labor Department and Homeland Security Department all having promoted posts that echo white supremacist messaging’ in his current term.”
The columnist called the White House’s initial defense of the video “pathetic.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the video an “internet meme” and urged reporter to “stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
“Well, Karoline,” Dowd wrote, “I think Americans do care that your boss is a racist and off his rocker.”
Dowd goes on to slam the president’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, calling it a “Dostoyevsky-esque moment” when he said he needed to win the 2020 election “for my own ego” and said, without evidence, that year’s election was “rigged.” She also denounced Trump’s reactions to questions about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final release of files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) implored Trump to take down the video after he called it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” Trump confirmed that they spoke and called Scott “a great guy.”
Trump said he watched the first part of the video before he passed it along to his staff, who did not vet it fully before posting it online. He said he “of course” condemned the racist part of the video but did not apologize that it was posted.
A White House official previously told The Hill that a staffer “erroneously” posted the video.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called on Republican leaders in Congress to denounce Trump after the video was posted. Jeffries wrote in an Instagram post featuring a video of his reaction to the video, “Every Republican sycophant who continues to stand by their cult leader should be run out of office.”
“This disgusting video, posted by the so-called president, was done intentionally,” Jeffries said in the video. “F— Donald Trump and his vile, racist and malignant behavior. This guy in an unhinged bottom feeder.”
