Nationwide — Forlesia Cook, a Washington D.C. resident who lost her grandson to murder in 2017, spoke at a White House Black History Month event and defended Donald Trump. She told critics to stop attacking him and said he is doing his job.
Trump invited Cook to speak during the White House Black History Month celebration held in the East Room last February. She took the opportunity to speak directly about him, pushing back against criticism in front of the crowd.
Cook grew firm as she repeated her message. “Get off the man’s back,” she said, according to Fox News. “Let him do his job. He’s doing the right thing. Back up off him.” She added, “And grandma said it.” The audience responded with loud applause and cheers.
She also expressed strong support in emotional remarks, saying, “I love him, I don’t want to hear nothing you got to say about that racist stuff. And don’t be looking at me on the news, hating on me because I’m standing up for somebody that deserves to be standing for.”
Trump responded from the stage with praise and humor, calling her comments powerful. He suggested she should consider running for public office and said she had his endorsement, which drew laughter from the audience.
Cook has spoken publicly for years about her grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr., who was killed in 2017 at age 22 in Washington, D.C. She later testified before Congress and continued speaking about gun violence and its impact on families in her community.
She also referenced Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., during her remarks and said she supported his approach to public safety. She described him by saying, “he keeps it real. I appreciate that because I can trust him.”