Donald Trump Jr. is under fire after posting photos of him and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with a cookie depicting a distorted image of Obama.

People called the photo "racist" and "sickening" and threatened to boycott the restaurant where the photos were taken.

Now the restaurant's owner is speaking out, saying in part: "The fact that guests decided to use our restaurant as a platform to promote, disrespect, and spread hatred goes against everything we stand for."



Donald Trump Jr. ignited backlash over the weekend after posting photos of him and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with a giant cookie depicting a distorted image of Obama.

Critics said Trump and Cruz appeared to be mocking Obama, and some accused them of racism. Many threatened to boycott the restaurant, Le Bilboquet, where Trump and Cruz appeared together.

Now the owner of Le Bilboquet is speaking out.

In posts on the restaurant's Instagram and Facebook accounts, Stephan Courseau explained that the party was held for one of the restaurant's regular customers, and said that the cookie was not made by Le Bilboquet. He also said he was not able to intervene because he was not present at the restaurant when the party was held.

"We at Le Bilboquet feel betrayed and sad," the post read, according to Eater. "Restaurant business is about creating a hospitable environment for all, a non-partisan, non-politicized, nondiscriminatory and respectful environment. The fact that guests decided to use our restaurant as a platform to promote, disrespect, and spread hatred goes against everything we stand for. On a personal note, I am French and my wife is Mexican. We both believe in universal values of love, respect and tolerance."

The restaurant's social media pages have since been removed, likely due to the amount of backlash flooding its accounts.

Trump posted several photos of him, Cruz, and the cookie with the caption: "Some good friends decided that while my birthday is not for 2 weeks that they would get me an early 40th birthday cake. And what birthday is complete without an Obama cake? I figured it was so good that I would have to share it with Ted."

In comments on the post, Instagram users called the photo "sickening" and "racist" and accused Trump of being a bully.