Sen. Jon Ossoff warned at a rally in Atlanta that the country is entering a critical moment for its democracy, pointing to what he described as escalating abuses of power and racially charged conduct from President Donald Trump as the 2026 election approaches. Speaking to a crowd he said reflects growing mobilization across Georgia, Ossoff framed the coming months as a test of whether the nation can withstand what he characterized as authoritarian behavior from the White House.
“This election is nine months away,” Ossoff said, “no doubt that Georgia is ready to do our part to save our republic again.” Ossoff told the crowd that frustration and alarm over recent events are driving political engagement. “Many of you are here because you just can’t stand what’s being done to our country,” he said, before singling out a recent social media post by the president. “The president posting about the Obamas like a Klansman at 1:00 a.m.”
Ossoff: "You're seeing what I'm seeing, right? The president posting about the Obamas like a Klansman." pic.twitter.com/56hNtFtfNh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 7, 2026
The comment referred to a post Trump briefly shared late Thursday night on his Truth Social account that included a 62-second video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, set to the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” while also promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The video was widely condemned as racist and drew criticism not only from Democrats but also from several Republicans, leading Trump to delete the post.
BREAKING: Full video that briefly appeared on President Trump’s TruthSocial post. pic.twitter.com/eLLD8yjxmq
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) February 6, 2026
Ossoff used the episode to argue that the federal government has been transformed to serve the personal interests of the president. “You see our government transformed into a tool of one man’s personal vengeance and power and enrichment,” he said. “You see the president and his family rake in billions while Americans struggle to make ends meet.”
Trump, for his part, defended both his record on race and the deleted post when questioned by reporters. He described himself as “the least racist president you’ve had in a long time” and pointed to criminal justice reform legislation and funding for historically Black colleges and universities as evidence of his support for Black Americans. He said the video was shared because it raised concerns about election integrity, claiming the racist imagery appeared only briefly and that the post was a repost created by someone else.
Trump: I’m the least racist president you’ve had in a long time as far as I’m concerned. pic.twitter.com/eZ5JIBf5RM
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 7, 2026
Ossoff’s comparison invoked the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist extremist organization founded in the aftermath of the Civil War that has historically promoted racism, antisemitism, and violence, particularly against Black Americans. The Klan is widely associated with terror campaigns, lynching, and opposition to civil rights, and references to it are commonly used to describe overtly racist behavior or imagery.
