Missouri: Rodeo clown banned after donning Obama mask, Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association apologizes
The Missouri State Fair on Monday imposed a lifetime ban on a rodeo clown whose depiction of President Barack Obama getting charged by a bull was widely criticized by Democratic and Republican officials alike, CBS News reports.
The incident occurred on Saturday, when the rodeo clown put on a President Obama mask and encouraged a bull to run him down, drawing cheers from the crowd.
According to a Associated Press report, the announcer asked the frenzied crowd if they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull.”
One fairgoer, Perry Beam, told the AP that another clown ran up to the clown wearing the Obama mask, pretended to tickle him, and played with the mask’s lips.
The fair said in a written statement announcing the clown’s ban that he had engaged in an “unconscionable stunt” that was “inappropriate and not in keeping with the Fair’s standards.” The fair’s press release did not identify the clown.
The Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association issued the following apology:
The Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association would like to extend a sincere apology for the inappropriate act during the Bull Riding at the Saturday performance of the MRCA Rodeo.