Trump marks Black History Month amid his war on diversity

US President Donald Trump has marked Black History Month with a reception at the White House where he was joined on the podium by legendary golfer Tiger Woods.

The celebration comes as his administration implements sweeping rollbacks of initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the federal government.

At the gathering, Trump promised to put statues of Black Americans in a new “National Garden of American Heroes”.

“I'm pleased to announce that we will be including the statue of Prince Estabrook in our new National Garden of American Heroes,” he said.

Prince Estabrook, an enslaved man and the first Black American to be injured in the Revolutionary War.

Trump said the garden would honour “hundreds of our greatest Americans to ever live, including countless Black Americans”.

He said others to be included would be abolitionist Harriet Tubman, activist Rosa Parks, and singers Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin.

He also joked that one day Woods might be included as well.

Trump did not mention his anti-DEI crusade as he addressed hundreds of guests at the reception which is a White House tradition.

His rollback of programmes addressing inequality has been sharply criticised by civil rights groups and racial justice advocates.

They say the DEI initiatives have helped address historical inequities impacting Black Americans.