Trump Posts Meme of Top Democrats in Sombreros

Trump Democrats sombrero meme sparks backlash with Harris, Schumer in outrage

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump posted an altered image showing Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Kamala Harris wearing sombreros on his social media platform.

The image appeared on Truth Social early Sunday and remained pinned to Trump’s profile into Monday evening.

The meme shows Senate Majority Leader Schumer and former Vice President Harris in stereotypical Mexican dress with a caption claiming they “love” an unspecified border policy. Hispanic lawmakers denounced the post as racist within hours of its appearance.

Senator Alex Padilla of California called the image “textbook xenophobia” during a press conference on Capitol Hill Monday. “This isn’t humor, it’s hate dressed up as a joke,” Padilla told reporters. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus plans to file an official complaint with the White House on Tuesday.

The post landed as Senate negotiators work to revive a bipartisan border security package that Trump helped kill earlier this year. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said the meme “torched any remaining goodwill” between Republican and Democratic negotiators. Talks scheduled for this week have been postponed indefinitely, according to Murphy’s office.

Former President Harris responded through a spokesperson late Monday. “Playing to the basest stereotypes isn’t leadership, it’s desperation,” her statement read. Harris herself did not address the controversy during public events in Los Angeles earlier in the day.

The White House Press Office referred questions about the post to Trump’s personal spokeswoman, who defended the image as “obvious satire.” She added that critics “need to learn how to take a joke when it comes to failed border policies.”

Republican senators largely dodged reporters in the Capitol hallways Monday afternoon. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina broke the silence, telling GlobalBeat that Trump “should focus on policy, not memes.” Tillis voted for the failed border deal and supports restarting negotiations.

The controversy compounds Trump’s struggle with Latino voters ahead of November’s midterm elections. A Univision poll released Friday showed his approval among Hispanic voters slipping to 29 percent, down from 35 percent in January. The same survey found 68 percent of Latino respondents viewed the Republican Party as “insensitive” to immigrant communities.

Digital strategists say the post serves a different purpose than winning over swing voters. “Trump energizes his base by offending everyone else,” said Republican consultant Sarah Longwell, who opposes the former president. Her firm’s recent focus groups found that hardcore Trump supporters view attacks on the meme as proof of media bias.

The meme’s timing raised additional alarms among immigrant advocates. Border crossings have declined for three consecutive months, yet Trump continues to claim the opposite. “Spreading lies about the border while posting racist images is a deliberate strategy,” said Marisa Franco, executive director of Mijente, a Latino advocacy group.

Truth Social removed at least 3 duplicate versions of the sombrero image Monday afternoon for violating rules on ethnic slurs, according to company emails viewed by GlobalBeat. Trump’s original post remained pinned to his 7.2 million followers with no content warning attached.

Legal experts questioned whether the post violates federal ethics rules that bar discriminatory conduct by federal employees. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel arguing that Trump’s government salary makes him subject to workplace discrimination standards. The agency has 30 days to respond.

Background

Trump has deployed ethnic stereotypes throughout his political career, from launching his 2016 campaign by calling Mexican immigrants rapists to telling minority congresswomen to “go back” to other countries. His social media feeds have featured similar memes targeting Muslims, Native Americans, and Asian Americans during previous campaign cycles.

The border security package currently stalled in Congress would have hired 1,500 new border agents and tightened asylum screenings. Trump urged Republicans to reject the deal in February, calling it “meaningless” during a private party meeting. The bill collapsed after twice failing to clear a Senate filibuster with only 4 Republican votes.

What’s Next

House Democrats plan to introduce a resolution condemning the sombrero meme as early as Wednesday, according to leadership aides. The largely symbolic measure would force Republican lawmakers to cast an on-the-record vote about Trump’s conduct. Leadership expects the resolution to fail but hopes to damage GOP candidates in competitive districts with large Latino populations.