Featured: Key points from McMaster’s final State of the Union address
Governor Henry McMaster delivered his final State of the State address as Governor of South Carolina on Thursday, January 29th. Here’s what we learned:
South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott is speaking out against an AI video posted on social media by President Donald Trump that depicts the former president and first lady as monkeys.
Late at night on February 5, President Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social that Photoshopped the faces of Barack and Michelle Obama into monkey bodies, according to a screenshot of the video posted by USA Today. The Photoshopped image was part of a longer video about allegations of voter fraud in 2020.
The president quickly faced backlash from members of his own party who said the Photoshopped images were racist. The post has been deleted, according to USA Today.
Scott, who often aligns with the president’s policy decisions, criticized Truth Social’s posts about X.
Scott said of the post, “I hope it’s fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen in this White House.” “The president should remove it.”
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-6th District, also responded to the post. The longtime Democratic lawmaker said everyone, regardless of party affiliation, should rebuke the post.
“Mr. Trump’s posts with President Barack Obama and President Michelle Obama are absolutely vile and racist,” Clyburn said in a statement. “This kind of bigotry, even if subsequently removed, sets us back as a nation, betrays our values, and only adds to the rhetoric of hate and ridicule.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt responded to the outrage over the post, saying it was an Internet video that compared the president to the “king of the jungle” and Democratic politicians to characters from The Lion King.
“I want you to stop with this false outrage and start reporting on the things that actually matter to the American people today,” Levitt said.
Gubernatorial candidates participate in the vote
Aside from Scott, few South Carolina Republican politicians have criticized the president’s post.
Some candidates for South Carolina governor responded to the post. Reactions from the candidates were mixed, with some criticizing the post and others criticizing the backlash to the post.
Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evett criticized the negative response to the post. She calls this reaction a problem with “Trump derangement syndrome,” a term used to describe what some consider to be an irrationally negative reaction to Trump’s actions.
“Another case of Trump Derangement Syndrome has occurred as the media and politicians go crazy over a two-second auto-generated clip that was clearly posted in error,” Evett wrote on X. “I wish the media would spend as much time holding criminals accountable as they do clutching their pearls and touting their virtues in automatically generated videos.”
State Sen. Josh Kimbrel (R-Spartanburg) also issued a statement regarding the post. Kimbrel said the mainstream media’s “hoax” surrounding the post was unraveled and that the footage involving the Obamas was an unrelated reel that appeared near the end of the screen recording.
“President Trump shared a nearly one-minute video about election fraud. The so-called ‘Obama Monkey’ clip, which was less than two seconds long, was simply an accidental autoplay of an unrelated reel that appeared at the end of the screen recording,” Kimbrel said. “This is a textbook example of why we should not jump to judgment when the media once again screams dismay.”
Both Democratic gubernatorial candidates also released responses to Truth Social posts.
State Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D-Richland) said in a statement that the president’s posts are “abhorrent, racist, and undermine the dignity of the office of president.” Although the post was deleted, he said the damage had already been done.
“Republican leaders and even Trump’s allies, including Sen. Tim Scott, criticized the post as racist,” Johnson said. “But here in South Carolina, Republican gubernatorial candidates went out of their way to defend the state anyway.”
Johnson went on to say that the kind of degradation caused by President Trump’s post is a reality for many Black families across South Carolina. He cited a virtual community meeting he held a few weeks ago, where he said he was called racial slurs and told African Americans would be deported.
He condemned Evette’s comments and asked her to apologize for supporting rhetoric that “demeans, divides and puts our community at risk.”
“South Carolina deserves better than silence, excuses and meanness,” Johnson said.
Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod also released a statement saying it is important for leaders to “live in the light and walk in the truth.”
“This post proves that Donald Trump lives in the dark,” McLeod said.
Political parties are also involved
Greenville County Democratic and Republican Party chairs have released responses to the president’s posts and the reactions of South Carolina politicians.
Jeff Davis, chairman of the Greenville County Republican Party, said the president can be criticized on many fronts, but accusations of racism are out of character for the president.
“First and foremost, let me be clear: While President Trump can and will be criticized for many aspects, including his policy decisions and his leadership style, accusations of racism are inconsistent with his long public record and character,” Davis said. “We completely reject that characterization.”
Davis also said the situation appears to be an example of a growing partisan framework rather than a substantive issue.
“I encourage you to focus on and address the serious challenges facing our country,” the chairman said.
Greenville County Democratic Party Chairman Stacey Mars also responded to the post, quoting Maya Angelou, who said, “When someone shows who they are, believe them.”
“My hope is that by President Trump posting images and saying things like former President Obama and his wife, people will eventually start believing in President Trump,” Maas said. “He has proven himself to be mean and evil and despicable and not a president who wants to serve all people.”
Mars went on to say that this image should be considered completely racist and should not be excused or defended.
“Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evett should be ashamed of herself for defending him, and South Carolinians should categorically reject her defense,” Maas said.
Vera Carpentier covers South Carolina Congress, state and Greenville County politics. Contact bcarpentier@gannett.com.
