Michelle Obama "a ape in heels" - FB post from a local official in West Virginia

Since the election, Trump has somewhat modified his tone, and said that his wife actually got on well with Michelle when they met.

I suspect - and hope - that Trump as President will be much less nauseous than Trump as Presidential hopeful. He perhaps said all the xenophobic, racist, sexist rubbish, not because he believed it, but because he calculated, rightly, that it would get him enough votes to win the election.

Unfortunately, his whole campaign, even more than the Brexit campaign over here, has released a whole load of nasty genies from their cages - and it will be very difficult to put them back in. He may find himself the object of hatred from the hate-filled mobs he has encouraged, if he doesn't act as they wish.

These are difficult times here in the US. I have hardly been out of the house since the election because I am so disheartened. I'm a staunch Democrat, and I/we survived Nixon, Reagan, and Bush 2, but this is different, very different. Racists have clearly been emboldened by the Trump win. I just hope that all of the so-called moderate Independents who voted for him are having second thoughts that will carry into 2020.

Over the night of the election, there were drunk young Trump supporters hanging in the trees outside the White House hurling racist abuse at the Obamas, so yes, I suspect they have heard far worse than this.

Worse

This is actually really depressing.
The sad thing is that the Obamas have probably heard worst than this.

Didn't people predict this? Something similar to the Brexit effect? When a small racist minority feel emboldened because of the results. So you get more instances of racist abuse and racially-motivated attacks. And I am pretty sure sex offenders must feel safer knowing their president is one of them

Trump said so many unacceptable things and yet he won the election. So suddenly what was unacceptable, or politically incorrect, becomes acceptable. Mainstream. The political discourse might change just like it has in Britain.

Hopefully in the US Trump and the Trumpites will have enough sense to distance themselves from these hideous people though.

She could and probably would face criminal charges in the UK.

Clearly some female Trump supporters are racist and thick.

In a country where "white's only" is being hand written above water coolers, I'm not surprised. Trump is a racist. surrounded by racists who are making racism and misogyny cool again.

OMG- the irony is that some people deny that there is racism.

Well, it is West Virginia. Possibly the most notoriously regressive, backward state in the U.S, so not that surprising, I'm afraid.

Stealth what a scary thought!
I've already got the music from Mississippi Burning in my head. A film I watched as a piece of history, now it feels like a fucking warning.

I wonder if this is a sign of things to come. Have we found trump's successor in however many years?

She has been brilliant, and still is, but that's not actually the point.

She could have been the worst First Lady ever and that comment is still sickening.

Just when you think it can't get any worse........

Thanks senaca. Tbh at least if people say it it sparks a little outrage. If they just think itwe'll never know. But I'm not on the receiving end so not fair of me to say that really.

Yes lore lei. My grandparents when I was a child would be classed as racist now (not my grandad who is still alive!) but it was ignorance with no hate and wouldn't have been anything like this. I feel as though we've gone back in time. Don't know to when but well before I was born.

Racism (and a lot less severe) is a hate crime here - is it in the us?

Speech alone can seldom be a hate crime in the US because of the First Amendment.

Sorry cross posts, I meant the ape comment, not Katie .hopkins!

I read she wants to make as much money as she can for her kids in case she dies early and that's why she spouts poison, not sure that's any kind of defence.

Michelle Obama is one of my 'look up to' people.

Maybe I'm naive but till recently I never worried about people perceiving me this way, it's the kind of comment that would have been shocking 30 years ago and I thought we'd moved on.

Sorry to harp on but the sexism and racism exposed by the election of Trump has really broken me. I used to think id like retire to Florida....more fool me. Oh well,,they'll be delighted that a non white woman won't even visit any more.

We need her here? To spread the hate presumably.

No, she's not going, apparently we need her here.

I read somewhere that there's a gofundme to pay for her to fuck off.

Racism (and a lot less severe) is a hate crime here - is it in the us?
I know Katie Hopkins said she'd move over there if they elected trump, has she done it so quickly and got a job in politics straight away?!

I dread where this is all going. "Openly gay" people in the mainstream rags. Overt racism and sexism from those in power.
anyway. ..enough. I'm off to smell some kittens or something.