Trump basks in Black History Month praise, dodging racism claims
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US President Donald Trump embracing Ms Forlesia Cook, a grandmother who lost her grandson to violence, during a Black History Month reception on Feb 18.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Feb 18 highlighted top black administration officials, rejected accusations of racism and promised “a century more” of success for African Americans during a White House celebration marking 100 years of Black History Month.
The President’s upbeat remarks stood in contrast to criticism of the administration’s ongoing efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The event also came nearly two weeks after an uproar over a social media post on the President’s account that featured a racist depiction of former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
At the time, Senator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, quickly called the video “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House”. The White House, despite growing outrage, initially defended the post, criticised the “fake outrage”, and then ultimately deleted it.
The President said he did not see the clip of the Obamas, blamed a staff member for the post, declined to apologise and later said no one was disciplined.
Mr Trump, who is in his second term, has a history of sharing racist rhetoric. He long promoted the false conspiracy theory that Mr Obama, the president from 2009 to 2017, was not born in the US. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a briefing on Feb 18 said members of the media have “smeared” the President as a racist.
On Feb 18, Mr Trump warmed up the invite-only crowd of around 100 guests by floating compliments to notable black Americans.
The President twice complimented Mr Scott, the South Carolina senator, and welcomed to the podium multiple black administration officials, including Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, whom Mr Trump called “exceptional”; former presidential rival and first-term Cabinet secretary Ben Carson, who Mr Trump said would soon receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and White House pardon czar Alice Johnson, whom Mr Trump issued a pardon to in 2020.
“When I met her, I fell in love,” Mr Trump said about meeting Ms Johnson.
Mr Trump was cheered as he discussed criminal justice reform from his first term and strict immigration enforcement policies in recent months. “It’s no wonder that in 2024 we won more African American voters than any Republican presidential candidate in history,” he responded.
In the past year, he has been criticised for rhetoric targeting immigrant communities, including Somali Americans and immigrants of Latin descent, often framing them within broader arguments about crime, as he did on Feb 18 by inviting a Washington-area grandmother on stage whose grandson was killed in 2017.
Civil rights advocates and experts have also said Mr Trump’s efforts to curb diversity programmes and policies could erase decades of progress.
“He keeps it real, just like grandma,” Ms Forlesia Cook said at the podium, thanking Mr Trump for urging the National Guard to patrol the capital to keep up the tough approach to crime.
“I love him,” Ms Cook added, as the President patted her back. “I don’t want to hear nothing you got to say about that ‘racist’ stuff... Get off the man’s back. Let him do his job, he’s doing the right thing, back up off him!”
Mr Trump, for a second day in a row, touted decades-long relationships with prominent black Americans to discredit accusations of racism towards him. At the celebration event, the President complimented the loyalty of fighter Mike Tyson for defending him.
After the death of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson
Following a chant of “four more years”, the President ended the Feb 18 event looking ahead.
“This is a very special group of people,” Mr Trump said, “So happy Black History Month, happy Black History Year, and happy Black History Century.” REUTERS
