Trump hosts Black History Month reception, weeks after backlash over racist post

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a White House reception for Black History Month on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), less than two weeks after he sparked a bipartisan outcry by posting a racist video on social media that depicted former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday didn’t reference the video, which he deleted after a widespread backlash, but said he won’t apologise for posting. He also did not reference Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, but spoke of other history-making Black Americans.

“We celebrate Black History Month. We honor the memory of those who came before us by continuing their legacy,” he said.

Mr. Trump name-checked prominent Black Americans among his supporters, including boxer Mike Tyson, whom Mr. Trump praised for defending him against accusations of racism, and rapper Nicki Minaj, whose skin he praised as “so beautiful” while commenting on how long her fingernails were.

The Republican President brought onstage several members of his administration, including Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson.

“As you look out upon this sea of Black Americans, this president hears you. This president cares for you. Don’t let anyone tell you that this president right here, Donald Trump has not — is not for Black America,” Ms. Johnson said. “Because he is.”

Mr. Trump listed ways he said his policies benefited Black Americans, including the law he signed last year eliminating federal income taxes on tips and his deployment of National Guard troops “to bring back safety” in cities with large populations of Black residents, such as Washington, New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee.

The reception came the day after Mr. Trump proclaimed in another social media post that he has been “falsely and consistently called a Racist by the Scoundrels and Lunatics on the Radical Left,” in a message that was meant to pay tribute to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday.

In response to a question about the post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier Wednesday: “There is a lot this president has done for all Americans, regardless of race. And he has absolutely been falsely called and smeared as a racist.”