"A recent social media post from an account belonging to President Trump prompted enough outcry over its use of a familiar racist trope that the White House deleted it. The Truth Social post included an image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. Despite removing the post, Trump has deflected blame to an aide. The former president commented on it over the weekend, calling it "deeply troubling" behavior."
"But they say that it fits into a pattern of extremist rhetoric, visual material and other media that have overtaken public messaging from federal agencies over the past year. They say that much of that messaging may not have been detectable to most Americans who are not immersed in the study of extremism. But to those who are, the dog whistles and coded words have been unmistakable."
A Truth Social post showed Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes; the White House deleted the post and Trump blamed an aide. Civil rights scholars and advocates identify the image as a familiar racist trope and as part of a broader pattern of extremist rhetoric, visual material, and media that have overtaken federal public messaging in the past year. Much of that messaging can be imperceptible to the general public but is obvious to experts in extremism. Observers assert that federal agencies, especially the Department of Homeland Security, have produced recruitment and communications that echo white nationalist aesthetics and emotional language.
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