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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday pushed back on a reporter who asked for examples of when the president had been “falsely called racist.”
“Yesterday, in his statement about Jesse Jackson, the president said ‘despite the fact that I’m falsely and consistently called a racist by the scoundrels and lunatics and the radical left Democrats all, it was always my pleasure to help Jesse along the way.’ Where or when does the president believe he’s been falsely called racist?” the reporter asked.
Leavitt responded to the reporter in disbelief and asked if he was “kidding,” to which the reporter replied that he was not.
“I will pull you [a] plethora of examples. I’m going to get my team in that room to start, going through the Internet of radical Democrats throughout the years and who have accused this president falsely of being a racist. And I’m sure there’s many people in this room and on network television across the country who have accused him of the same. In fact, I know that because I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Leavitt said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on Feb. 18, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The press secretary noted that the president was scheduled on Wednesday to hold an event marking Black History Month. Additionally, she listed a number of policy accomplishments aimed at benefiting both the Black community and Americans as a whole, such as the administration’s commitment to funding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the establishment of Trump accounts.
“So, 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. And I’m happy to provide you those receipts, and we gladly will right after this briefing,” Leavitt added.
Donald Trump and Jesse Jackson attend Tyson-Spinks Boxing Match on June 27, 1988, at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
TRUMP REMEMBERS JESSE JACKSON AS ‘GOOD MAN,’ ‘FORCE OF NATURE’
The reporter was referring to President Donald Trump‘s post regarding the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 84. The president, who posted several pictures of himself with Jackson, remembered the late reverend as a “good man with lots of personality, grit and ‘street smarts'” before making the remarks about being falsely labeled as a racist.
Trump noted that he supported and “provided office space” for Jackson and the reverend’s civil rights organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Additionally, Trump said that he had responded to Jackson’s “request for help getting criminal justice reform passed and signed, when no other president would even try.” The president also touted his own work to secure long-term funding for HBCUs.
“Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him,” Trump said before seemingly taking a swipe at the reverend over his support of former President Barack Obama‘s candidacy.
Donald Trump and The Reverend Jesse Jackson with singers from the hotel lounge act at the Tyson vs Holmes pre-fight party at Trump Plaza Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., Jan. 22, 1988. (Jeffrey Asher/ Getty Images)
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“He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” Trump added.
The president has often faced accusations of racism from prominent Democrats, including his most recent predecessor, former President Joe Biden. Trump has long pushed back against the notion, highlighting his relationships with prominent Black figures during his celebrity days and his policy moves during his time as president.