Summary
President Donald Trump used a White House event on Wednesday marking 100 years of Black History Month to spotlight leading Black figures in his administration, reject charges of racism and project a long-term vision for African American advancement. The occasion followed controversy over a racially offensive social media post on the president's account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The White House initially defended the post, later deleted it and the president said he had not seen it, blamed a staffer and declined to apologize.
Event and remarks
Speaking to an invite-only gathering of roughly 100 guests, Trump praised multiple Black officials who joined the program and repeatedly rebutted claims that he is racist. He commended Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina twice during the event and brought several Black administration officials to the podium. Those introduced included Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, whom the president called "exceptional," former presidential rival and first-term Cabinet member Dr. Ben Carson, whom Trump said would soon receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Alice Johnson, who received a presidential pardon in 2020.
About Johnson the president said, "When I met her, I fell in love." He received applause while discussing criminal justice reforms enacted during his first term and while outlining recent strict immigration enforcement measures. He told the audience it was unsurprising that "in 2024 we won more African American voters than any Republican presidential candidate in history." Following a chant of "four more years," Trump closed the event projecting forward: "This is a very special group of people," he said. "So happy Black History Month, happy Black History Year, and happy Black History Century."
Context of controversy
The White House celebration came nearly two weeks after an uproar over a social media clip posted on the president's account that included a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. Senator Tim Scott called the clip "the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House." Despite mounting criticism, the White House initially defended the post and dismissed the response as "fake outrage," and the clip was later deleted.
On the matter, the president said he had not seen the clip, blamed a staffer for posting it, declined to apologize, and later said no one was disciplined in relation to the incident. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday that members of the media had "smeared" the president as a racist.
Supporters and critics at the event
During the ceremony, Trump invited supporters to speak in favor of his approach to crime and public safety. One speaker, Forlesia Cook, praised the president for urging National Guard patrols in the capital and said of him, "He keeps it real, just like grandma." At the podium she added, "I love him," and urged critics to "get off the man’s back. Let him do his job, he’s doing the right thing, back up off him!" The president responded with physical reassurance, patting her back.
The event included a Washington, D.C.-area grandmother whose grandson was killed in 2017, illustrating how immigration and crime issues were framed during the program. Civil rights advocates and experts, however, have warned that efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other diversity policies could undo decades of progress. Critics have also pointed to rhetoric targeting immigrant communities, including Somali Americans and immigrants of Latin descent, as part of a broader pattern in the president's public statements.
Trump's efforts to counter accusations
For a second consecutive day the president highlighted long-standing relationships with prominent Black Americans in an apparent effort to rebut charges that he is racist. He complimented Mike Tyson's loyalty to him and posted photographs online of himself with Jesse Jackson and other Black public figures following the death of Jackson on Tuesday. In that online post Trump said he was "falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left, Democrats ALL," and noted it had been his "pleasure to help Jesse along the way."
Takeaway
Wednesday's White House celebration combined public recognition of Black officials and supporters with forceful denials of racism. It underscored continuing tensions between the administration's messaging and criticism over a prior social media post and policy moves affecting diversity initiatives. The ceremony also highlighted themes that have recurred in the president's rhetoric - criminal justice reform, immigration enforcement and appeals to personal relationships with Black leaders - as he sought to portray his record in a positive light.