Story perspectives

Trump Dinner Highlights $174M HBCU Funding Claim

By Drooid · Oct 18, 2026, 12:02 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump hosted guests Bill Maher, Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith for a dinner Thursday night.
Trump toured the guests through the ballroom under construction during the evening.
Discussion covered the war in Iran, Black-women unemployment and funding for historically Black colleges and universities.
Kid Rock said Trump provided $174 million to HBCUs in 2016 and called the meeting “epic.”

History

Historical Context

In February 2009 President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a Keynesian stimulus that expanded education spending. Decades later, Donald Trump’s 2024 gathering with Bill Maher and others revived debate over HBCU funding, showing how past federal investment cycles are used as national political symbols for voters.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump hosted guests Bill Maher, Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith for a dinner Thursday night.
Trump toured the guests through the ballroom under construction during the evening.
Discussion covered the war in Iran, Black-women unemployment and funding for historically Black colleges and universities.
Kid Rock said Trump provided $174 million to HBCUs in 2016 and called the meeting “epic.”

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