“And During Black History Month” – California Officials Blast Trump for Posting Video Depicting the Obamas as Apes
Gov. Gavin Newsom and a number of elected officials joined a wave of national backlash after President Donald Trump shared — and later deleted — a video widely condemned as racist for depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.
On Feb. 6, Newsom’s office blasted the President on social media.
“Disgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.” the social media post read.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) called for the President to be removed from office.
“Donald Trump is a racist, a stain on our White House and should be removed from office,” Rivas posted on Facebook. “Silence is complicity, and every Republican must speak out and reject his latest racist act.”
Senate Pro Tem Monique Limón called on her colleagues to “denounce this behavior.”
“I will not share the disgusting video depicting our former president and first lady, but I will however call on all, including our Republican colleagues, to vehemently denounce this behavior,” said Limón in a statement.
“The video shared is not just a meme video – the symbolism carries with its centuries of racist pain that seeks to dehumanize our Black community,” she continued. “Please speak out and condemn this behavior. We cannot allow this dialogue to continue.”
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) posted on his Facebook page on Feb. 6.
“If this is your President and you support this … we really just can’t be friends right now,” said Bryan.
On Feb. 7, Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), responded to Trump on her Facebook page.
“Don’t be jealous because we are not in the Epstein files,” Mckinnor wrote alongside a picture of Michelle and Barack Obama.
The controversy began after Trump posted the video on his Truth Social platform on Feb. 5. The clip promoted false claims about the 2020 election before briefly showing the Obamas’ faces superimposed on primates’ bodies, a trope widely understood as racist.
Trump said he did not watch the full video before it was posted and declined to apologize.
“I didn’t see the whole thing,” Trump told reporters, adding that he only viewed the portion about election fraud. Asked whether he would apologize, Trump said, “No, I didn’t make a mistake.”
He also said he condemned the imagery but maintained he had not personally seen the offensive portion before it was posted.
The White House initially defended the post as part of an internet meme before later saying it had been removed and may have been posted in error.
“This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. But there are no apes in ‘The Lion King,’ only a mandrill, Rafiki.
She also dismissed criticism as “fake outrage” and urged media outlets to focus on other issues.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) also expressed outrage about the video and the President’s action.
“Vile. Disgusting. Abhorrent. Racist. And during Black History Month,” Padilla said in a statement. “Truly no words to fully describe how despicable and low the video posted by the President is. America deserves better.”
State Controller Malia M. Cohen: February Is Unclaimed Property Month in California
California State Controller Malia M. Cohen and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D‑Anaheim) announced on Feb. 5 that the Legislature has adopted Assembly House Resolution (HR) 79, officially designating February 2026 as Unclaimed Property Month. The declaration aims to increase public awareness of California’s unclaimed property program and encourage residents to check for lost or forgotten assets.
The State Controller’s Office (SCO) currently safeguards more than $15 billion in unclaimed property, representing over 84 million individual properties that could belong to nearly 39 million Californians. Common forms of unclaimed assets include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks, bonds, insurance benefits, and contents from safe deposit boxes.
“My office is safeguarding more than $15 billion in unclaimed property. In these uncertain times, taking a few minutes to visit claimit.ca.gov could mean reconnecting you or your loved ones with money that’s rightfully yours,” Cohen said in a statement.
“I want to thank Assemblymember Valencia for authoring HR 79 to help raise awareness about California’s financial lost and found.”
Valencia, who chairs the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, emphasized the financial benefit for residents.
“Every year, California returns hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed property back to their rightful owners,” he added. “A quick search could put money back in your wallet.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) also voiced support, noting the resolution’s practical impact.
“Too often, families are unaware their money is sitting unclaimed. That’s why I’m happy to join Assemblymember Avelino Valencia in raising awareness for this important program,” Rivas said.
Cohen and Valencia encouraged Californians to visit the SCO’s claimit.ca.gov portal to search for and claim unclaimed assets.
New Trailer Bill: Proposal Calls for Moving Department of Education Under Gov’s Office
Language for a budget trailer bill that would shift oversight of the California Department of Education (CDE) under the governor’s office was released on Feb. 2, marking a key step in advancing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s broader plan to overhaul the state’s education governance system.
The trailer bill language reflects a sweeping proposal included in Newsom’s 2026–27 state budget plan that would move responsibility for managing the CDE into the executive branch while strengthening the coordinating role of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The proposal is intended to modernize what state leaders and policy researchers have long described as a fragmented and sometimes conflicting operational structure that oversees California’s TK-12 education system.
Under the plan, the State Board of Education would assume greater oversight authority, aligning policy development more directly with implementation by the Department of Education.
“For far too long, California’s fractured education governance system has contributed to persistent inequities disproportionately impacting low-income students, students of color, and multilingual learners,” said Christopher J. Nellum, Ph.D., Executive Director of EdTrust-West last month when Newsom first proposed the plan.
“EdTrust-West commends Gov. Newsom for championing these essential reforms, and we look forward to working with state leaders and fellow advocates to ensure we build an accountable education system that finally delivers on its promise to our most vulnerable students,” Nellum added.
Newsom has framed the effort as long overdue, pointing to decades of reports calling for reform.
“California can no longer postpone reforms that have been recommended regularly for a century,” Newsom said, describing the proposal as a step toward greater accountability, clarity, and coherence in how the state serves students and schools.
The proposal draws on recommendations dating back to a 1920 legislative review and the Legislature’s 2002 Master Plan for Education, as well as a December 2025 report from Policy Analysis for California Education warning that governance reforms were overdue. Analysts have argued that overlapping authority among the governor, superintendent, State Board of Education, Legislature, and local agencies has created inefficiencies and inconsistent policy implementation.
If adopted, the changes would also expand the superintendent’s role in coordinating education policy across early childhood, TK-12, and higher education systems. Lawmakers are expected to debate the proposal as part of the broader state budget process in the coming months.
