D.C. Resident Who Lost Grandson to Violence Praises Trump: ‘Keeps It Real’

A Washington, D.C. resident who lost her grandson in 2017 due to violence in the city praised President Donald Trump, stating that one thing she liked about him was that “he keeps it real just like grandma.”

During a Black History Month Reception on Wednesday, Trump spoke about how, prior to his administration cracking down on crime in the nation’s capital, the District of Columbia “was a crime capital” and a “horror show.” Trump then introduced Forlesia Cook, “a lifelong Washingtonian who tragically lost her grandson to violence in 2017.”

“We can’t provide opportunity for the next generation if we do not also have a thing called law and order — we need law and order,” Trump said. “You know, Washington, D.C.’s 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.”

Trump went on to introduce Cook, and prior to speaking, Cook asked him for a hug. During her speech, Cook stated how she and others “marched” and “rallied” for people who had lost someone to murder and “did not have answers.”

Cook pointed out that “nobody heard” her “until” Trump sent his people “to interview” her.

“One thing I like about him, he keeps it real just like grandma,” Cook said. “I appreciate that ’cause I can trust him ’cause he tells exactly how he [feels] and what he [thinks]. Thank God for this President.”

“It seemed like nobody cared. I’m an advocate for murder, I marched. I rallied. I pulled out other families in the District of Columbia that had murders and did not have answers,” Cook continued. “We marched, and we rallied, and nobody heard me… Democrats… until this Republican sent his constituents, his people out there to interview me in my home. Have you ever heard of a thing?”

Breitbart News White House Correspondent Nick Gilbertson reported at the beginning of February that a recent report showedexecutive Washington, D.C. had a “monumental drop in murders in January 2026 compared to January 2025.”

Crime data on the Metropolitan Police Department’s website shows that as of February 18, there have been roughly eight homicides in 2026, a 68 percent decrease from 2025.

In August 2025, Trump announced that he was “invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act,” and that the Metropolitan Police Department would be “under direct federal control,” as part of an effort to address crime in the city.

Trump also announced that he was activating the National Guard.

Prior to this, Trump also signed an Executive Order in March that created “the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force.”