This story has been updated.

The chairman of a local chapter of the Illinois Republican Party called President Barack Obama an “a**” and said if the media focused about the offspring of a zebra and a donkey there would be two “living creatures” getting plenty of attention that is partially white and partially black.

The joke, by Winnebago County Republican Central Committee (WCRCC) chairman Jim Thompson, came in a regular newsletter sent out to supporters. It came at the end of the newsletter.

“Media update for the week: saw on the news this week the offspring of a donkey and a zebra, black and white legs, rest all donkey,” Thompson wrote at the end of the newsletter. “Not sure why this is news: now if we can teach him to read a teleprompter, we could have two living creatures the media will fawn over that is part white part black and all a**!”

Thompson is referring to a baby zebra-donkey hybrid that was born at Mexico’s Reynosa Zoo on Friday.

Thompson emailed TPM with the following statement: