Echoing claims from Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials about a sudden discrimination against white men and people, President Donald Trump dialed in, stating it all comes from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, creating space for white people to be “treated very badly,” The New York Times reported.
In an interview, the 47th president said he thinks the legislation signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson set white people back in several ways, touching on admission to colleges and universities. “White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well, and they were not invited to go into a university or college,” he said. “So I would say in that way, I think it was unfair in certain cases.”
Referring to it as “a reverse discrimination,” Trump admitted “it accomplished some very wonderful things,” but his policies tout other viewpoints.
During his second term campaign trail and after taking office, the president has zeroed in on “anti-woke” politics that have resulted in the controversial overturning of affirmative action, ending race-conscious admissions in higher education, following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina.
The case served as a domino effect, resulting in the termination of Black student unions and even grants for Black women-owned businesses, as the ruling claimed they violated the Equal Protection Clause.
Trump seemingly expressed his thoughts on “woke” policies
and white discrimination well before the ruling and well before serving as commander-in-chief during the Black Lives Matter uprising. In 2017, during a protest in response to a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a woman was run over and killed by a driver. In response, the president defended racist protesters, saying, “You had some very fine people on both sides.”The sentiments have resurfaced since the chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Andrea Lucas, pushed for white men to come forward if they felt they have been discriminated against in the workplace. “Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex?” Lucas said in a cringey video posted on X, reposted by Vance.
“You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Contact the E.E.O.C. as soon as possible. Time limits are typically strict for filing a claim. The E.E.O.C. is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating ALL forms of race and sex discrimination — including against white male applicants and employees.”As the vice president labeled diversity policies as “a deliberate program of discrimination primarily against white men,” according to The Independent, NAACP President Derrick Johnson blasted Trump’s comments regarding the Civil Rights Act, saying there is “no evidence that white men were discriminated against as a result of the civil rights movement, the Civil Rights Act, and efforts to rectify the long history of this country denying access to people based on race in every measurable category.”
However, evidence of discrimination against Black people in the workplace — and beyond — is overwhelming and growing. Studies reveal that because of the administration’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, Black people, particularly women, suffered immensely, with the number affected directly reaching the thousands.
Gender economist Katica Roy said it was “not a coincidence” as public sector jobs gave Black women a “lifeline” that they once lacked in economic opportunities.
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