Just two days.

That’s how long it took Donald Trump to break his promise to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Two days after telling a national audience they had “nothing to worry about” under his administration, Trump proposed slashing tens of millions of dollars from the budget of one of the crown jewels of Black higher education: Howard University.

This isn’t just a betrayal. It’s a blueprint.

A Familiar Script: Say One Thing, Do the Opposite

During a recent NewsNation town hall, sports commentator and sycophant Stephen A. Smith teed up Trump with a softball question on HBCU funding—an exchange that reeked more of PR choreography than journalistic accountability. Trump responded with his usual braggadocio, claiming he had done more for HBCUs than anyone in history and assuring viewers that their funding was safe.

Then came the budget proposal.

The Trump White House now seeks to cut $64 million from Howard University’s federal funding—a move that rolls support back to 2021 levels. The administration claims this is about “sustainability,” arguing that a one-time $300 million hospital investment has run its course. But the timing is unmistakable: after photo ops and lofty promises, the substance disappears. Again.

As Howard University leadership made clear in their response: they are not fooled. They emphasized the essential role the institution plays in American life—as a new Research 1 university, a catalyst for social mobility, and a monument to Black academic excellence since 1867. Cutting their funding is not a fiscal tweak—it’s a political signal.

From Executive Orders to Executive Overreach

This budget betrayal is no isolated event. It fits neatly into a broader pattern—one I previously described as Trump’s HBCU Cosplay.

In April, Trump signed a new executive order titled The White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at HBCUs. On paper, it sounds celebratory: words like “innovation,” “excellence,” and “prosperity” are sprinkled throughout. It calls for a summit. It name-drops success.

But behind the performative prose lies a calculated reversal.

This executive order revokes the Biden-era Executive Order 14041, which centered federal action on equity and educational justice. In its place, Trump offers recognition without redistribution, visibility without power, and celebration without commitment. The order is filled with symbolic flattery, but refuses to mention systemic racism, civil rights, or reparative investment.

It’s not policy—it’s performance. It’s not reform—it’s reputational cosplay.

The Trump Playbook: Optics Over Outcomes

Let’s be clear: Trump’s history with HBCUs has always been more costume than commitment.

• Photo ops in the Oval Office: HBCU presidents invited to pose, but rarely consulted on substance.
• Executive orders with no enforcement: Nice titles, no teeth.
• Budget maneuvers that shift the burden to philanthropy and corporations: The federal government claps while simultaneously washinging its hands .

This is classic Trump strategy: eliminate equity infrastructure, rebrand it with vague language, and market the ruins as reform. In the same breath, he’ll gut DEI, then claim to be “leveling the playing field.” He’ll defund public institutions, then package austerity as “innovation.”

This latest budget proposal for Howard is not just a funding cut—it’s a mask slipping.

HBCUs Need Sovereignty, Not Symbolism

At a time when Black institutions are under siege—from Tennessee’s power grabs to political attacks on DEI across red states—we don’t need executive orders written in cursive fonts. We need federal commitments backed by real dollars.

We need:

• Structural long-term investment, not ceremonial praise and temporary measures.
• Equity-driven governance, not cosplay governance.
• Accountability with teeth, not boards that submit unread reports to a disengaged president who conveniently can’t seem recall when and what he tweeted or if he is required to uphold the Constitution (newsflash from his 2x oath of office: he is).

Howard University doesn’t need to be rescued—it needs to be respected. And all HBCUs need more than a seat at the table. They need the power to set the table.

Final Word: Watch What They Defund

Trump’s pattern is unmistakable. He hugs HBCUs when the cameras are on. Then he guts them when the cameras leave.

This is not leadership. It’s exploitation cloaked in pageantry.

To every student, alumnus, staff member, and faculty leader at Howard and beyond: You are not a prop. You are pioneers.

And to all of us watching: Don’t fall for the tv show glitz

Watch what they defund.
Watch what they erase.
Watch what they fear.

Because in the end, the fight for educational justice isn’t about flattering words or executive pageantry.

It’s about power.
It’s about policy.
It’s about outcomes.