Critics say that a rodeo clown crossed the line over the weekend after wearing an exaggerated mask of President Barack Obama and asking spectators if they wanted to see "Obama run down by a bull" at the Missouri State Fair.
Although the rodeo clown may have intended light-hearted humor and political satire, others say the antic was offensive, disrespectful and racist. On Monday, the Missouri State Fair rodeo permanently banned the rodeo clown from performing at the festivities and officials are also considering taking action against the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association, the contractor that was responsible for Saturday's event.
The fair said in a written statement that the clown engaged in an "unconscionable stunt" that was "inappropriate and not in keeping with the Fair's standards."
The state's second highest-ranking official, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, also denounced the performance in a tweet Sunday, calling it "disrespectful" to the president, reports USA Today.
A spectator who attended the rodeo compared the incident to a KKK rally.
"It was the usual until the very end at bull riding. As they were bringing the bulls into the chute and prepping them. ... They bring out what looks like a dummy. The announcer says 'Here's our Obama dummy, or our dummy of Obama.' They mentioned the president's name, I don't know, 100 times. It was sickening. It was feeling like some kind of Klan rally you'd see on TV," Perry Beam told the AP.
The board of directors at Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association also issued an apology:
"The Sport of Rodeo is not meant to be a political platform. We are taking measures by training and educating our contract acts to prevent anything like this from ever happening again," a statement on the group's website said. "All Members of the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association are very proud of our Country and our President."
Watch a reports about the incident via USA Today below:
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