In Black History Month, Trump casts racial progress as largely settled

"Black History Month is really all about American history. And this is a big year. This is a big year for you. During my first term, I was honored to deliver unprecedented victories for Black Americans and all Americans, frankly. And we're going to do it again."

"We ended DEI in America. Yet he has frequently suggested - in rhetoric and policy - that the civil rights movement and the push toward racial equity are matters largely resolved, a view that sets him apart from recent presidents, and from his own first term, when the emphasis was more often on unfinished work."

"The president has said the Civil Rights Act led to White people being 'very badly treated.' He has described efforts at societal equity as reverse discrimination. And he stressed to his Black supporters that their focus should be on the prosperous future he said his policies will deliver, not the sins of the past."

During Black History Month, President Trump hosted an East Room celebration highlighting his criminal justice reform and historically Black college funding while declaring DEI programs eliminated. His approach contrasts with recent presidents by suggesting racial equity issues are largely resolved rather than ongoing. Throughout February, Trump demonstrated contradictory positions: praising Black historical figures while celebrating the removal of diversity initiatives and refusing to apologize for a deleted racist video depicting former President Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. Trump has characterized civil rights efforts as reverse discrimination and the Civil Rights Act as harmful to White Americans. He emphasized to Black supporters that they should focus on future economic prosperity from his policies rather than historical injustices.

Read at The Washington Post