Carl Paladino Won't Step Down From Buffalo School Board After Racist Comments About Obamas

Carl Paladino, a Buffalo real estate developer and co-chair of Donald Trump's New York state campaign, won't step down from his post on Buffalo's school board after he made racist comments about the Obamas in an interview with a local newspaper.

In a statement released Tuesday, Paladino expressed more regret than he did in his original defensive statement but said he won't resign his position from the school board despite pressure from local officials and PTA members.

"No, I'm not leaving the school board, not when it's time to help implement the real choice elements of Trump's plan for education reform," he said in the statement, which was published by WBEN.

"I've spent years dedicated to the mission to defeat the thought that the liberal progressive elitist establishment can continue to hold our minority children captive in the cycle of poverty simply to provide their voting base. I don't intend to yield to the fanatics among my adversaries. I certainly am not a racist."

The Buffalo school board will hold a special meeting Thursday to discuss Paladino and his future, according to WBEN.

The firestorm started last week, when Paladino was asked by the newspaper Artvoice about his hopes for 2017.

"Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford," he said.

When asked "What would you like to see go away in 2017?" he said: "Michelle Obama. I’d like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla."

Trump himself has not addressed the statements made by the co-chair of his campaign in New York, where Trump won the GOP primary in a runaway victory. A statement from his transition team, though, called the comments "absolutely reprehensible" and said they "serve no place in our public discourse."

READ MORE: Carl Paladino's Wishes for 2017: President Obama Dies, First Lady is Sent to Africa

In his statement Tuesday, Paladino said that while the comments were his, he didn't intend to send them to the newspaper. He said he meant to forward them to some friends but hit "reply instead."

Paladino said he made the comments during an "emotional moment" after listening to President Obama talk about the slaughter in the Syrian city of Aleppo. He called Obama "a traitor to American values."

He said he was hurt by the reaction of his family to his published comments.

"What is horrible is explaining to my 17 year old daughter how her hero could be so stupid," his statement said. "What is horrible is watching my family and friends react to the rabid hordes of attacking parasites we now call activist progressives."

Paladino's statement added: "I never intended to hurt the minority community who I spent years trying to help out of the cycle of poverty in our inner cities."

Read Paladino's full statement released Tuesday here.

It was a far cry from Paladino's initial response once the comments were published on several national news websites and drew condemnation from New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Paladino said the comments had "nothing to do with race" then attack Obama's policies further and said Michelle Obama "hated America before her husband won."

"And yes, it's about a little deprecating humor which America lost for a long time," his original statement said. "Merry Christmas and tough luck if you don't like my answer."

Image Credit: Sheryl J Thomas via Flickr Creative Commons