Donald Trump faced widespread condemnation after sharing a video on his Truth Social account depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. The video, which was deleted from Trump's account on Friday, included an AI-generated clip set to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" that featured the Obamas' faces superimposed on ape bodies in a jungle setting. The clip was part of a longer video promoting conspiracy theories about voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election, according to Time.
The depiction of the Obamas as apes is a racist trope used to dehumanize Black people. This incident added to the controversy surrounding Trump's actions, which also included the State Department deleting all public X posts made before January 20, 2025, when Trump returned to office, archiving them internally instead, according to NPR Politics. This move requires individuals to file a Freedom of Information Act request to view the older posts.
Trump's rhetoric and actions have drawn criticism from various groups. He previously falsely accused Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, of eating pets, and derided Haiti as a "shithole country," according to Vox. This has led to concerns among Haitian Americans, who fear they may be targeted by his administration.
In other news, Thailand held an early general election on Sunday, with vote counting underway in a three-way race between the People's Party, Bhumjaithai, and Pheu Thai, according to NPR Politics. The progressive People's Party is favored to win a plurality, but may face exclusion from a coalition government.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice released over 3 million files tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to Vox. The rollout of these files has been chaotic, with many documents heavily redacted. Officials have stated that this is the full set of materials that will be made public and that additional criminal charges are unlikely.
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