by April Ryan,

“One of the reasons why I am president today is because of the Black vote,” Trump told African Americans celebrating Black History Month at the White House. There was a resounding response of “We love you” and “Thank you” from the exuberant crowd.

In November 2024, presidential candidate Donald John Trump won 20% of the Black vote. He won 13% of the vote in 2020 and eight percent in 2016.

Flanked alongside the president was iconic pro golfer Tiger Woods whose late father was a Black man. Sen. Tim Scott, the longest-serving Black U.S. senator in history, was also in attendance. The 47^th president also said: “We now have more Black Republicans serving in the U.S. House than any time in history.”

Shermichael Singleton, a Republican strategist and TV host, attended the standing-room-only event and said: “I am glad President Trump acknowledged the incredible contribution of Black Americans, regardless of people’s differences with him. It is important that every president recognizes the contributions of Black Americans since the inception of this country.”

Trump saluted the valiant efforts of a slave named Prince Estabrook who fought alongside minutemen in the Revolutionary War. Estabrook is reported to be the first Black soldier injured in the American Revolution. Upon Estabrooks’ return to Massachusetts after the war, he was a free man.

He commented about the nation’s 250^th anniversary where he said: “I look forward to honoring the contributions of countless Black Americans who fought to win, protect and expand American freedom from the very beginning.”

However, the president took a swipe at the 1619 project saying: “The last administration tried to reduce all of African American History to a single  year, 1619.” Another round of ‘boos’ was heard when he made the mention. Trump followed with: “Under our administration, we honor the indispensable role Black Americans have always played in the immortal cause of another date, 1776.”

In support of the Black History Month event, Trump also announced plans for statue gardens in multiple states “of all our heroes of people like Jackie Robinson; Frederick Douglass; Aretha Franklin and Coretta Scott King; Muhammad Ali; Kobe Bryant; and Harriet Tubman.”

Throughout the presidential speech, several guests were spotted standing on White House chairs they used for a lunch of lamb chops and shrimp and grits.  At one point a White House official was seen walking through the crowd telling people to get off the chairs. This reporter has never seen in 28 years anyone standing on the chairs in the East Room of the White House.

The event had a few sour notes. The head of the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, received an overwhelming round of ‘boos.’

A woman with her husband and her baby son explained the boos were because “the crowd didn’t like vaccines, mostly the COVID vaccines.”

Before the president entered the room with Woods, spotted in the crowd was a life-size cutout of Black Georgia pastor, Jamal Bryant, bobbing up and down in the crowd occasionally before the president entered the room. Black Press U.S.A. spoke with Dr. Bryant. The New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor asked: “How do you get something like that in the White House?”

The sign was a life-size replica of his head on a stick that at points was bouncing in the air at the event. The hand sign is believed to be an effort to target and intimidate the Georgia pastor for his sharp criticism of the Trump administration and his boycott of stores that are dropping DEI.