Overview
- At a Feb. 18 East Room reception, Trump honored Jesse Jackson, highlighted Black administration officials and supporters, and wished “a century more” of success for African Americans.
- Trump declined to apologize for the earlier video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, said he did not see that portion, blamed a staffer for the post, and said no one was disciplined.
- The invite-only crowd of about 100 heard him tout criminal justice reform, long-term HBCU funding, opportunity zones, and National Guard deployments; he also said Ben Carson will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Alice Marie Johnson and other guests publicly praised Trump, while the president name-checked allies and celebrities including Mike Tyson, Nicki Minaj, Herschel Walker, Scott Turner, and others as the audience cheered and chanted “four more years.”
- The reception took place as the administration moves to eliminate federal DEI programs and pursues an appeal of a federal judge’s order to restore slavery exhibits at Philadelphia’s President’s House site.