‘Ape in heels’: vile post about Michelle Obama triggers backlash against West Virginia mayor and other official

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US First Lady Michelle Obama, pictured at an event to target homelessness among US veterans at the White House on Monday, was branded an “ape in heels” by a West Virginia official. Photo: AP

Published: 8:59am, 15 Nov 2016Updated: 8:59am, 15 Nov 2016

The director of a West Virginia development group and a mayor are under scrutiny after a racist post about first lady Michelle Obama caused a backlash and prompted calls on social media for both women to be fired.

Clay County Development Corporation’s director Pamela Ramsey Taylor made the post following Donald Trump’s election as president, saying: “It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I’m tired of seeing a Ape in heels.”

Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling responded: “Just made my day Pam.”

The post, first reported by WSAZ-TV, was shared hundreds of times on social media before it was deleted.

Beverly Whaling, the mayor of Clay in West Virginia, commented that it made her day to see Michelle Obama described as an ape. Photo: Facebook

The Facebook pages of Taylor and Whaling couldn’t be found Monday. A call to the Clay County Development Corp went unanswered and Whaling didn’t immediately return a telephone message.

An online petition seeks to remove Whaling and Taylor. The nonprofit development group provides services to elderly and low-income residents in Clay County. It is funded through state and federal grants and local fees.

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