US President Donald Trump speaks alongside former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Scott Turner during a Black History Month event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 18, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Moments later, Trump returned to Carson and elaborated on the award.
"It’s better because, you know, a lot of people get the Congressional Medal of Honor, and they’re not around," Trump said. "But it’s the highest award [for] a civilian."
After remarks from Leo Terrell whom Trump thanked, saying, "Leo, that was very good," the crowd assembled broke into a chant of "four more years."
Later, while listing Black artists and athletes, Trump singled out rapper Nicki Minaj.
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US President Donald Trump greets Alice Marie Johnson, the "White House Pardon Czar," during a Black History Month event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 18, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump tied those policies to electoral performance, saying, "it’s no wonder that in 2024, we won more African-American votes than any Republican president in history."
Trump also cited economic indicators, saying, "Earlier this month the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 50,000 for the first time ever," and adding, "The S&P broke 7000."
"More Americans are working today than at any time in American history," he said, before stating, "Since I took office, African American employment has increased by 182,000."
The president also promoted a tax proposal, inviting a small business owner from Arkansas to speak. She told the audience, "no tax on tips has been amazing blessing for me."
Trump later pivoted to crime and border enforcement, arguing "we need order," and claiming, "Washington DC is amazing. It was a crime capital. It was a horror show a year ago. It was really dangerous. And now it’s one of the safest cities anywhere in the country."
"We have the lowest murder numbers in 125 years since 1990," he said, adding, "just one year ago, we had the absolute worst border that we’ve ever had, and now we have the safest border that we’ve ever had."
He also said he had "deployed the National Guard to bring back safety to Memphis and to New Orleans and Washington," calling the Guard "incredible."
He also gave the floor to Alice Johnson, whom he described as the White House "pardon czar," recounting her case: "We got her out. We did a commutation… I said, full pardon."
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Johnson credited Trump with the First Step Act, saying, "President Trump did something historic in his first term. He signed the First Step act into law," and adding, "Over 40,000 individuals have come home to their families early."
Trump closed by calling the gathering "a very special group of people," and said, "So happy Black History Month, happy black history year, and happy black history century."
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-marks-black-history-month-announces-medal-freedom-carson-praises-nicki-minaj