Mac Deford, Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, released the following statement after President Donald Trump shared a video on social media using racist imagery to mock former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“This isn’t politics: this is disgraceful,” Deford said. “A sitting President of the United States chose to amplify a video that uses one of the oldest racist tropes in American history to demean our nation’s first Black President and First Lady. That’s not satire. That’s not humor. That’s outright degradation, and it stains the office he holds.”
Deford, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, said leaders in our nation’s highest office bear a special responsibility to uphold decency and unity.
“Leadership means lifting people up — not dragging America back to its ugliest chapters for clicks,” Deford said. “When the President shares this kind of garbage, dismisses the reaction as ‘fake outrage,’ and cloaks it in flimsy excuses, he normalizes cruelty. That’s unacceptable.”
Deford said leadership at the highest level requires restraint, judgment, and an understanding that words and actions from the President set the tone for the entire nation.
“The presidency is supposed to be bigger than one man’s grievances or impulses,” Deford said. “It is supposed to unite the country, represent our values, and uphold a basic sense of decency. When the President fails that test, it’s not just a bad post: it’s a failure of leadership.”
“This kind of conduct should be condemned without hesitation or qualification,” Deford added. “Not explained away. Not minimized. Not normalized.”
“I’m running for Congress because I believe this country deserves leaders who respect the office they hold and the people they serve. Racism has no place in American politics, and it has absolutely no place coming from the President of the United States.”