Trump Faces Backlash After Sharing Racist Meme, Federal Worker Protections to Weaken
In the first week of Black History Month, former President Donald Trump sparked outrage after sharing a racist video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes on his Truth Social account. The video, which was quickly deleted, was part of a longer clip promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Simultaneously, a final rule issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will make it easier for Trump to fire federal workers, starting March 9th.
The video, which was set to the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," featured the Obamas' faces superimposed on the bodies of apes in a jungle setting, according to Time. This imagery echoed a centuries-old racist trope used to dehumanize Black people. The post was met with widespread criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, NPR reported.
The incident occurred as Trump's plan to reshape the federal workforce is set to take effect. The OPM's final rule, unveiled in October 2020, will allow Trump to convert an unspecified number of federal employees into at-will employees, stripping them of their job protections. This move has faced significant public opposition, according to NPR.
In other news, Netflix settled a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Vanity Fair staffer, Rachel DeLoache Williams, who claimed she was falsely portrayed in the Shonda Rhimes series "Inventing Anna," Variety reported.
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