The first lady of the US, Michelle Obama, has been referred to an “ape in heels” by two US officials.
The director of a state and federal-funded nonprofit in West Virginia has been removed after writing a racist Facebook post which referred to Mrs. Obama as an ape.
Clay Mayor Beverly Whaling replied to the comment, “Just made my day Pam.”
A petition calling for them to be fired had garnered more than 84,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning.
She said the backlash against her Facebook post “has been a hate crime” against her. Taylor added that she has has received death threats over her comment.
The mayor also apologised in a statement to The Washington Post: “My comment was not intended to be racist at all. I was referring to my day being made for change in the White House! I am truly sorry for any hard feeling this may have caused! Those who know me know that I’m not of any way racist!
“Again, I would like to apologize for this getting out of hand!”
According to The Associated Press, a town council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday regarding the matter.