119th CONGRESS 2d Session |
Condemning and censuring President Donald Trump.
February 13, 2026
Mr. Cohen (for himself, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Mr. Green of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
Condemning and censuring President Donald Trump.
Whereas, since its founding, our Nation has recognized the strength in diversity by making our national motto E Pluribus Unum;
Whereas we continue to strive to live up to our national values equality, opportunity, and pluralism as we continuously strive to create a more perfect union;
Whereas President Donald Trump has continually maligned and scapegoated immigrants, people of color, and religious minorities, and attempted to use race and national origin to degrade people of color and delegitimize public officials;
Whereas, prior to being elected President, Donald Trump often smeared President Obama with racially loaded attacks, such as completely false claims that President Obama was not an American or born in the United States;
Whereas, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 11:44 in the evening, President Trump reposted a 62-second video with false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and included an image of Former President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates in the jungle;
Whereas depicting Black people as apes is a long, well-understood racist trope;
Whereas the post met bipartisan condemnation with Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina saying, he was “praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House”;
Whereas, when initially confronted with Donald Trump’s February 5, 2026, post, White House officials initially defended the post and stated the calls for its removal of the video to be “fake outrage”;
Whereas, after condemnation from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, as well as civil rights organizations, it took several hours for the post to be taken down;
Whereas the post was finally removed on Friday, February 6, 2026;
Whereas President Trump has claimed that he did not view the video in its entirety and that it was a staffer who posted the video without reviewing it to the end;
Whereas, if it was a staff member, that staff member should be admonished; and
Whereas, even after criticism and outrage about his comments, President Donald Trump believes he has done nothing wrong and has refused to apologize: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
(1) censures and condemns President Donald Trump for his racist social media post of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as primates made on February 5, 2026, which violates the President’s oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution; and
(2) calls on President Donald Trump to apologize for his repugnant social media post which have disgraced the Office of the President and dishonored the United States of America.