Overview
- Forlesia Cook used the White House Black History Month reception to defend President Trump, telling critics to "get off the man's back."
- Trump praised Cook from the stage and joked that she should run for office, offering her his endorsement on the spot.
- Cook, whose grandson was killed in 2017, thanked Trump for deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and praised his tough-on-crime approach.
- The White House shared video of Cook’s comments as the clip spread widely online, drawing sharply divided reactions reported by outlets tracking social media responses.
- The episode unfolded as officials addressed a racist Truth Social video featuring the Obamas, which the White House said was posted in error; Trump said he did not see the offending portion and condemned the racist elements.