A CNN panel discussing Donald Trump’s latest social media post took an unexpected turn this week when a guest shared the only words the president has ever said to him. The moment, part awkward and part comic, unfolded during a broader conversation about race, image and memory in American politics.
The exchange aired February 11 on CNN News Night with Abby Phillip, per Irish Star. The panel had been reviewing a video Trump posted to Truth Social. In it, the 79-year-old president appears in photos with several prominent Black celebrities, including 50 Cent, Oprah Winfrey, Mike Tyson and civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
The video was captioned, “A timeline of Trump’s bigotry.” Trump added his own comment: “How quickly people forget. So sad!”
Blow: I met Donald Trump only one time at a cocktail party. He introduced himself—the first and only thing he said: Black people love me pic.twitter.com/lUTOpaa5xw
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 12, 2026
The post came just days after Trump faced backlash for sharing an image on Truth Social that depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. That post circulated widely before being removed. It revived longstanding accusations about Trump’s rhetoric and record on race, stretching back decades to federal housing discrimination lawsuits filed against his company in the 1970s and his public calls in 1989 for the death penalty in the Central Park Five case.
Back in the CNN studio, political commentator and New York Times columnist Charles Blow said he had met Trump only once — at a cocktail party. “He was coming to speak to the people that I was talking to,” Blow said. “He introduces himself. The first and only thing he said — I don’t think he knew who I was at the time — ‘Black people love me.’”
Host Abby Phillip and panelist Ana Navarro burst out laughing. Blow, smiling but steady, continued.
“That’s what he said, literally,” he told the panel. He said Trump then launched into a speech about how popular he was with Black Americans and claimed that everywhere he goes, Black people urge him to run for office. Blow added that the only names Trump mentioned were celebrities.
Donald Trump (indirectly saying) “I’m not racist. I got black friends.
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The #TrentOutLoud Show, the best damn show on YouTube, Twitch and Kick. pic.twitter.com/F7UyrExkaA
— Trent Out Loud (@Trentoutloud) February 12, 2026
The laughter in the studio did not last long. The conversation quickly returned to Trump’s social media activity. In addition to the celebrity montage, Trump posted three more videos. In them, he repeated claims that he once saved Mike Tyson’s life, that he was close friends with Michael Jackson, and that Oprah Winfrey supported him running for president in 1988 “on the same exact policies he holds today.”
Clips from the CNN broadcast spread across social media within hours. Viewers focused on the simplicity of the reported four-word introduction.
Trump has long pointed to relationships with high-profile Black figures as evidence of broad support. During past campaigns, he frequently cited criminal justice reform efforts and funding for historically Black colleges and universities as achievements. At the same time, his language about immigrants, inner cities and political opponents has repeatedly drawn controversy.
The cocktail party story landed because it was so brief. With just four words and no small talk, there was no need for context. The audience understood all too well Trump’s penchant for declarations.
And while on television, it played almost like a punchline. In politics, these statements are about image, memory and who gets to define both.
