Washington, D.C., resident Forlesia Cook lost her 22-year-old grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr., to gun violence in 2017. But at this year’s Black History Month celebration at the White House, she defended President Donald Trump.
In fact, she even told critics, “Get off the man’s back.”
Cook has testified before Congress about her grandson’s killing, as his accused killer received what she believes is a reduced sentence. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Blue City Chaos and Tragedy: How the Trump Administration Is Addressing the Human Cost of Soft-on-Crime Policies,” Cook asked, “How long do we have to suffer?” and that sentencing laws need to change.
On Wednesday, after Trump invited her to speak during the Black History Month event, Cook said,
“I love him. I don’t want to hear nothing you got to say about that racist stuff.”
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She added that she didn’t want anyone to be:
“Hating on [her] because [she is] standing up for somebody that deserves to be standing for (…) Let him do his job. He’s doing the right thing. Back up off him.”
Then came the line that drew laughter: “And grandma said it.” Trump was amused and said, “Wow, that’s pretty good.” The president added, “When is she running for office? Forlesia, when are you running for office? You have my endorsement.”
Cook also thanked Trump for deploying the National Guard to the capital and praised his tough-on-crime approach. “One thing I like about him, he keeps it real, just like grandma,” she said.
Republicans are holding hearings that, they say, will expose the consequences of “soft-on-crime” policies in Democrat-led cities. At one such hearing, Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley stated that 18 out of 20 crime-ridden cities are controlled by Democrats. Democrats like Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, though, pointed to higher murder rates in some Republican states.
Cook has said that watching her grandson’s killer receive a lighter sentence made her grief worse. At a House hearing, another parent, Stephen Federico, said that his daughter’s accused killer was arrested nearly 40 times.
Trump says he’s targeting “the toughest criminals.” But even the libertarian Cato Institute says otherwise: David Bier notes Trump has cut legal immigration far more than illegal immigration. Trump is not tough on crime, he is tough on families. pic.twitter.com/ZCXldUksrN
— Lloyd Doggett (@RepLloydDoggett) February 17, 2026
At the event for Black History Month 2026, Trump announced that former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also honored the late Jesse Jackson, calling him “a real hero.”
However, it was Cook’s remarks that stood out amid the ceremony’s events.
RELATED: The Complicated Trump Connection in Jesse Jackson’s Legacy
