President Donald Trump is not a racist, according to Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Ed Young of Dallas.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, the pastor of multicampus Fellowship Church based in Grapevine, Texas, posted a set of four slides on Facebook addressing the controversy over Trump posting on Truth Social a video that includes images of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as monkeys — an age-old racist trope.
That video, which sparked outrage nationwide, appeared on Trump’s Truth Social profile in the middle of the night last Thursday. Trump has been known to post outrageous content to social media in the night so it was generally accepted that he had posted it himself.
Initially White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was no problem here: “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the king of the jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”
In reality, there are no monkeys in The Lion King and the images of the Obamas bear no resemblance to any scene from the blockbuster film.
Even some Republican elected officials publicly denounced the video, but Ed Young doubled down in support of the president.
His series and white text on black background slides said: “Our voices are loud at times and very quiet at other times. Shared opinions and judgments on social media have been loud concerning the post shared yesterday from President Trump.
“I’ve learned that a staffer posted a video which had been forwarded to him/her and they didn’t take time to review it before sharing. That is irresponsible and unprofessional. Now, the words are loud accusing the President of racism and much more.
“I don’t believe the president is a racist, but, that isn’t the point. The president is the leader of the free world and more specifically, our nation. The post was made on his social media account and therefore, it represents him.
“The staffer should be reprimanded AND, the president should offer an apology for the post. Assume responsibility for your team and set the record straight. That is leadership.”
Trump instead has refused to apologize for the video and claims he didn’t do anything wrong. It is well known that Trump’s philosophy is never to apologize for anything. He has said previously he never has asked God for forgiveness because he sees no need to.
The president also has a long and well-documented history of racist actions and comments, including his allegations against the Central Park Five based on racial profiling, his insistence Obama was not born in the United States and therefore was ineligible to serve as president; and his policies that target brown and Black people while favoring white people.
Last Friday aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters: “I am, by the way, the least racist president you’ve had in a long time, as far as I’m concerned.”
In October 2024, Young preached a sermon about how to pick a president. He told his congregation they must see beyond the person to the platform.