In a move unexpected by some but not unprecedented, the leadership of America’s oldest all male Irish Catholic organization issued an official statement condemning the racist depiction of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama posted on President Trump’s social media account.

“This is not a political statement, but a moral one founded in our Irish history and Catholic faith. We recognize this tactic because it was used against us as Irish Americans.” says the AOH statement.

"As an organization founded to combat attacks against Irish immigrants, we know intimately the weaponization of simian imagery. For generations, our ancestors were caricatured as apes in newspapers, political cartoons, and popular culture; portrayed as violent, primitive, and less than human. They stripped our people of dignity and humanity."

AOH members must be male, of Irish descent and practicing Catholics. According to a number of studies, more than 60% of U.S. voters fitting that description voted for Trump in 2024.

**"The influential cartoonist** **Thomas Nast,** **whose work appeared in Harper's Weekly throughout the latter half of the 19th century, repeatedly drew Irish immigrants as apes.**

Trump blames staffer

The president says he never saw the latest despicable meme before it went out on Truth Social, his personal disinformation vehicle. He says a still-unnamed staffer put it out without his knowledge or approval.

The AOH isn’t buying it. The subsequent walk-back, blaming an unnamed staffer and claiming the president was unaware, rings hollow. As a leader, the President should be well aware that the captain of a ship is responsible for all who serve under him.

Nor do the officers of the organization think it’s humorous or harmless. The claim that this video was merely an “internet meme” or that critics were engaging in “fake outrage” is both morally bankrupt and historically ignorant.

In May the AOH strongly criticized Trump for posting a meme showing himself dressed as Pope.

Trump's short attention span

“A White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down,” a White House official said 12 hours after it went up just before midnight on Thursday 5 Feb. Trump told reporters he watched the opening 40 seconds of the video with that unnamed staffer but didn’t stick with it until the end at 62 seconds and didn’t see what people are so upset about. Because it was that staffer who hit the SEND button, Trump refused to apologize - "I didn't make a mistake" - while also saying he condemned the final offensive portion but endorsed the rest of a video that perpetuated lies about the 2020 election he lost.

**“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it,” Sen Tim Scott (R.- S.C.) on X.**

Deja vu for the AOH

This isn’t the first time Sean Pender, President of AOH, has called out Trump for a troubling Truth Social post. On May 5, 2025, the Order, founded in 1844, strongly criticized a "recent offensive social media post depicting himself (Trump) in papal vestments, seated on the Chair of St. Peter, via an AI-generated image. Releasing this during the sacred period of mourning for Pope Francis is not only grossly inappropriate, it is a blatant affront to Catholics and an attack on their belief in the sanctity of the Papacy."

EDITOR'S DISCRETION - TRUMP AS POPE AI IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE

Reaction

At least three sitting Republican Senators have criticized the President over this incident. That's a lot from this bunch. Said one GOP political consultant, “I’ve been condemning this blatant racism against the Obamas since 2010. 16 years later, why aren’t more of my GOP brethren doing the same? When will the staffer who ‘really let the president down’ be named and fired? This shouldn’t be hard.”

Not sure how this is playing out on Truth Social, but on the AOH Facebook page the statement posting got tons more comments than anything else posted there. A cursory look at the 711Likes and163 comments (as of 0630 10 Feb.) shows about an even split between supporters and critics of the AOH stand. One member, Bo Smith. from Albany, New York, wasn’thappy. "Pender’s very selective, humorless, overheated jeremiad against a light-hearted meme appears to be a distinctly partisan abuse of his officially apolitical AOH leadership role and a slap in the face of his Hibernian brothers.” Maureen Price posted, “It's about time you finally figured it out!!!”

The Portland Hibernian Society has a history with the AOH

From the PHS website. In late November of 2022, members of the E.H. Deery Division of the Ancient Order Hibernians voted to become an independent, non-sectarian, inclusive organization for anyone interested in Ireland. Thus was the Portland Hibernian Society born.

The AOH division was founded in 1998 by David O’Longaigh and Chuck Duffy. The decision to go out on our own, free of the restrictions on membership in the AOH constitution, only came after several meetings and sponsorship of an amendment to the AOH constitution.

In support of our amendment, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told delegates to the AOH National Convention in July 2022, “I was pleased to hear about your proposal to build an order that is fully inclusive of women as well as men. It’s important to give women residing in America another opportunity to embrace their Irish heritages.”

The proposed amendment was overwhelngly rejected by AOH attendees. "Woke nonsense," said one opponent of the change.