Despite his first month — or first day, for that matter — heavily focusing on anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, President Donald Trump hosted a Black History Month celebration on Feb. 20.
“Today, we pay tribute to the generations of Black legends, champions, warriors, and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness. And you really are great people,” said Trump during the event.
As golf icon Tiger Woods and the newly minted Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner stood with hundreds of Black Trump supporters in the East Room, the president knew he would dismiss Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the following day.
Gen. Brown is the second Black individual to serve in that capacity, with the first being Gen. Colin Powell. During Trump’s first term, he appointed him the first Black Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
Brown, a four-star fighter pilot with over 40 years of service, learned of his dismissal at the border, addressing one of Trump’s top priorities.
Like the other 45 men who served in the Oval Office before him, Trump has the right to nominate anyone to the top position at the JCS.
He even has the right to reward loyalty over competence in his nominations.
However, firing Brown is a move that seems to continue the president’s mission in this administration of predominantly white male dominance and steering away from uplifting DEI.
Indeed, Brown, who former President Joe Biden appointed, may have inadvertently sown the seeds for his downfall at the JCS after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.
In a four-minute video during the protests, he reflected on his experiences as a pilot in the Air Force.
“I’m thinking how full I am with, with the emotion, not just for George Floyd, but the many African Americans that suffered the same fate as George Floyd,” Brown said a little less than five years ago.
In his 2024 book, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth questioned Gen. Brown’s promotion: “Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know but always doubt…”
However, here’s what we do know: the current administration has blamed DEI as a downfall for government operations and efficiency, has worked to erase the teaching of Black history, and is targeting federal workers who have been outspoken about happenings related to the Black Lives Matter movement and other “woke” efforts.
We know that Gen. Brown, who has never been accused of improper sexual behavior, beating women, or having a drinking problem, has served his nation honorably.
Nonetheless, it seems his dismissal — just a day after the White House’s Black History Month celebration — comes as yet another way for the president to assert his dominance and create an administration that perfectly aligns with his goals of eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion.