The mayor of a small city in Washington reportedly admitted that he called President Barack Obama “monkey man” and first lady Michelle Obama “gorilla face,” but says he will not resign over the racist comments. “Gorilla face Michelle, can’t disagree with that,” Patrick Rushing, mayor of Airway Heights, reportedly wrote in a Facebook post. “The woman is not attractive except to monkey man Barack. Check out them ears. LOL.”
The comments led the city council to call for his resignation on Monday.
“When a figurehead makes comments such as these that sets us back and it’s hard to come back from,” police chief and acting city manager Lee Bennett told KXLY, the local ABC station.
However, Rushing insists he will not step down from his role as mayor of the city, which is just outside of Spokane and has a population of nearly 6,500, according to Census data.
“I made a mistake. I owned up to my mistake,” Rushing told the Spokesman-Review. “If I do resign that’s admitting I’m a racist and I’m not.”
He also told local NBC station KHQ that the comments were just “playful back and forth banter that my friends and I do.”
Rushing’s constituents did not find the comments playful.
The city council has threatened sanctions against the mayor if he refuses to resign. The Spokesman-Review said sanctions could include limits on his involvement on boards and commissions.
