Tim Scott Speaks Out After Condemning Trump’s Controversial Obama Meme
Senator Tim Scott broke his silence on social media after a five-day hiatus, endorsing Senator Susan Collins’ reelection campaign in Maine. This comes on the heels of his condemnation of a racist video shared by Donald Trump’s Truth Social account.
Scott characterized Collins as "a battle-tested leader whose fierce independence has led to historic wins for Maine," highlighting her frequent clashes with the White House.
The South Carolina senator, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, faced swift backlash from GOP circles after he labeled the video depicting Michelle and Barack Obama’s faces superimposed onto monkeys as "the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House." He expressed hope that it was a fabrication.
Collins recently aligned with a faction of Republicans advocating for limitations on Trump’s military authority regarding Venezuela, which prompted the former president to declare that those involved “should never be elected again.” Additionally, she voted to convict Trump during the impeachment trial following the January 6 Capitol riot.
Scott's perceived disloyalty to Trump has drawn ire from several of the president's allies. In a separate post, he criticized Texas State Rep. Gene Wu, the minority leader of the Texas House, for remarks suggesting unity among diverse ethnic communities. Scott accused Wu of "recycling the ideology behind slavery, ethnic cleansing, and history’s greatest atrocities," adding a sarcastic "Congrats."
This response came after Wu urged various ethnic groups in the U.S. to recognize their shared struggles against oppression. "The day the Latino, African American, Asian and other communities realize they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning," Wu stated in a video clip.
Following Scott's comments on the monkey video, far-right activist Laura Loomer criticized him for not retracting his statement, suggesting he was intentionally undermining Trump. Loomer’s remarks reflect a growing divide within the party regarding loyalty to the former president.
Reports indicate that after Scott publicly urged Trump to remove the offensive post, the former president called him to clarify that it had been uploaded by mistake and would be taken down. Initially, the White House defended the post, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing it as part of an “internet meme video” parodying “The Lion King.”
Leavitt urged journalists to “stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.” However, a subsequent statement from a White House official acknowledged that a staff member had "erroneously made the post."
