A Public Relations Statement on the Horrific Racist Video Shared on the President of the United States’ Social Media Platform, Truth Social.
BUTO Magazine will not showcase the racist video of the former U.S. President and his wife, created by a deranged individual. Instead, we leave you with our official statement.
We at BUTO Magazine stand by the statement below in its entirety. This type of racial bigotry undermines the positive gains made by Americans who fought—and in many cases lost their lives—to create a better future for those who came after them.
Susan H. Blackburn, Office of Public Relations | February 9, 2026
Public Relations Statement
In response to calls from a few readers asking why we have not addressed the racist, AI-generated depiction of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, we chose a deliberate, proactive path. Our position was to deny oxygen to imagery that is hateful, bigoted, and beneath serious engagement.
Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, represent the very best of this country, and the childish, racist, and ill-advised post shared on President Donald J. Trump’s Truth Social Media account ultimately spoke for itself: The [writer] of this silly post and its derogatory characterization of America’s best is unstable and a racist!
“This senseless attack was not just on the Obamas; it was a direct affront to all African Americans and to the multitude of decent, diverse American citizens who share the vision of one America. This blatant attack on the Obamas occurred just days into America’s celebration of Black History Month.”
That post, on President Trump’s Truth Social site revealed a deep-seated jealousy toward President Barack Obama and his loyal, beautiful, and intelligent wife, America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama—an animus that is both transparent and unsettling.
President Obama and the First Lady served this nation with distinction for eight years and exited the White House unscathed by scandal, leaving America better than it was when they entered. This is a standard the current administration is not only struggling to meet, but failing to achieve in every way.
So when asked why we initially did not respond in kind—well, my parents taught me early on, “If someone calls you out of your name, do not answer. Why? Because you are what you answer to.” The Obamas know who they are, and they know their value—to the people of America and to the world. Similarly, we at BUTO Magazine have taken the same position.
We here at BUTO Magazine collectively understand the value of America’s African American “royal team”—the Obamas. We also believe no words are necessary to defend them or to respond to such ignorant and demeaning characterizations by a hateful, unstable, rancorous, and malevolent individual filled with toxicity for intelligent people of color.
As you may have noticed, we did not mention the administration’s personnel directly. However, the combined actions of this administration and its senior leadership appear to be not only incompetent, racist and cruel, but also mentally unbalanced and petty. In our view, and in the judgement of all right-thinking people, the Trumpian regime, by all appearances, is fascist and self-righteous, in addition to being egregious and ultimately insignificant.
Finally, many people have asked President Trump for an apology, to which he responded, “No.” His response is totally appreciated, because a perfunctory apology would serve no purpose if it were devoid of genuine sincerity. The better option for the American people is to continue to outshine this administration and work to change the tide of negativity and harm affecting the American people.
To begin the process of changing this cruel administration, you are encouraged to VOTE in the upcoming Midterm election for new leadership.
Sincerely,
Public Relations Coordinator
Susan H. Blackburn