Dan Caine may not have been on Washington's radar before Friday night. But President Donald Trump's fascination with the retired three-star general, his surprise pick to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

Caine, a three-star general whom Trump has praised since at least 2019, helped lead an operation in Iraq against the Islamic State during Trump’s first term.

The ceremony comes as the Trump administration has pushed to eradicate diversity programs from the government, which some agencies have interpreted to end the observance of identity-based months.

President Donald Trump marked Black History Month with an event Thursday at the White House that featured several of the Republican’s famous Black supporters. The celebration stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s attacks against diversity programs and discussions of race.