What does gorilla in the room mean?

Answer 1

The statement is a mixed metaphor, coming from two diffrent idioms. One is 'the elephant in the room', refering to something, commonly a problem or a faux pas, that is so immense that it is impossible to overlook, thus making it glaringly obvious that people are deliberately ignoring it, pretending not to see it.

The other is built upon an old riddle: 'Where does an 800 pound gorilla sleep? Whereever it wants to.' That is to say, you cannot in any way stop or fight this force, commonly used to refer to powerful entities such as companies that have total or near-total monopoly, or government. They can do whatever they want, because there is no-one that can gain-say them.

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Mike Huckabee mixed the two metaphors in 2011, refering to former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney's healthcare plan as 'the gorilla in the room' --something that is both instituted by people so powerful that they can ignore the common person on the street, and that is such a faux pas that it's blatantly in your face, no matter how much you try to ignore it.