The vice chair of the Republican Party in Wyoming is facing backlash over a racist social media post promoting harmful stereotypes about Black people that he said was nothing more than a joke. According to the Cowboy State Daily, David Holland is now the center of some political controversy in his state after sharing a Facebook post that featured a photo of former president Barack Obama and incoming president Donald Trump at Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week. The caption written above the picture reads, “Do you realize, by the time I’m sworn in I’m going to be a felon that worked at McDonald’s? I’m blacker than you.” Wyoming GOP Vice Chair David Holland (Photo: Facebook/David Holland) The post has since attracted negative reactions from politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Joe Barbuto. “Is this why the Wyoming GOP has been so desperate to eliminate DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives — so their leaders could openly engage in casual racism?” Barbuto questioned. “Wyoming deserves better than this hateful garbage.” Wyoming Republican Gail Symons, who ran for the state House of Representatives last year, expressed similar sentiments as Barbuto, calling the post “overtly racist.” “I don’t believe Dave Holland is a racist,” Symons said. “It feeds into a whole lot of people who are.” Holland merely brushed off the scrutiny and criticism. Because the photograph shows Obama laughing as he’s engaged in conversation with Trump, he thought his post offered some lighthearted satire about what the two might have been discussing. “I think it’s a joke, I’m not racist,” Holland told the Daily. “Obviously, if anybody had any sense of humor they would have understood it. People are beyond (sensitive). The people upset don’t have anything else to do with their little lives.” He posted the meme on Jan. 11, but it has since been removed from his page. Holland’s most recent Facebook post reads, “For the record, I have never been in, on, near, or around a race car. Definitely not a racist.” Holland has served as vice chair for the Wyoming GOP since 2019. According to the party’s website, he has been an active member of the Republican Party for decades and served in a number of elected and appointed roles on multiple boards and commissions. ‘I Am Not Racist!’: Wyoming GOP Chairman Brushes Off Critics After Posting ‘Hateful’ Meme with Photo of Barack Obama and Donald Trump