A Washington, D.C., grandmother who lost her grandson to violent crime took the stage at the White House this week and delivered an emotional speech during an event marking the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, as reported [1] by The Gateway Pundit.
Forlesia Cook spoke in the East Room during a celebration hosted by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Cook recounted the 2017 murder of her 22-year-old grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr., and described her efforts to advocate for crime victims in the District of Columbia.
Her name is Forlesia Cook, and she is fabulous.
pic.twitter.com/03IZqGvul2 [2]— KelFitton (@KelFitton) February 18, 2026 [3]
McMillan disappeared on April 23, 2017, after leaving home to meet a woman he had connected with on the Plenty of Fish dating app.
According to authorities, his remains were discovered months later along the side of a highway in Maryland. He had been shot seven times and left in the woods. It was not until January 2018 that he was officially identified.
Cook told the audience that she spent years marching and rallying for answers following her grandson’s death.
“I like him, too. One thing I like about [Trump]—he keeps it real, just like Grandma. I appreciate that because I can trust him, because he tells exactly how he feels and what he thinks. Thank God for this president. I am filled—my cup runneth over—because he allowed his constituents, his people, to come to my house to interview me, to talk about the murder of my grandson. It seemed like nobody cared.”
“I’m an advocate for murder victims. I marched, I rallied, I pulled out other families in the District of Columbia that had murders and did not have answers. Oh, we marched and rallied, and nobody heard me. Democrats get mad at me until this Republican sent his constituents, his people, out there to interview me in my home.”
“Have you ever heard of such a thing? Then they invited me twice before Congress to testify for the beautiful bill.
“That’s going to change crime in the district. If you kill somebody, okay—you take a life, you do life. Just that simple. If you do a harsh crime, you do harsh time. Just that simple. And then we need the National Guard, which we did years ago. He brought it on.”
“I love him. I don’t want to hear anything you have 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 stood up for. Get off the man’s back. Let him do his job. He’s doing the right thing. Back up off of him. And Grandma said it.”
Cook said she had organized marches and brought together other families in Washington whose loved ones were victims of unsolved murders.
She described testifying before Congress twice in support of legislation she said would address crime in the district.
“GRANDMA SAID IT”
WOW.
Watch every second of this.
“I don’t want none of what you have to say about that racist stuff…get off the man’s back. LET HIM DO HIS JOB. HE’S DOING THE RIGHT THING. BACK UP OFF OF ‘EM. AND GRANDMA SAID IT.”
AMEN! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/1668DlXqm3 [4]
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 18, 2026 [5]
The White House event marked a century since the first official recognition of Black History Month. During her remarks, Cook credited President Trump for sending members of his team to speak with her at her home about her grandson’s case.
Her comments focused on crime policy, sentencing, and the role of the National Guard in addressing public safety concerns in Washington.
The event was held in the East Room and attended by invited guests as part of the administration’s Black History Month observance.