A man in Casey County, Kentucky said this week that the mannequin in his front yard resembling President Barack Obama holding a slice of watermelon is simply “freedom of speech.”

Speaking to Lexington-based LEX18.com on Christmas Eve, Danny Hafley said that the racist display, which went up shortly after Halloween, has made him popular with his friends, and that he’s seen numerous passers-by taking photos with the faux-Obama.

“That’s my buddy,” Hafley said in a video published to YouTube.

 

“Obama’s your buddy?” reporter Adam Yosim asked.

“Well, this is,” Hafley replied. “He don’t talk. Don’t make no smart comments.”