Nationwide — President Trump claims that civil rights protections from the 1960s ended up hurting white people, claiming they were denied opportunities in education and jobs. He acknowledged the laws helped some but argued they also caused what he called “reverse discrimination.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Trump was asked if civil rights laws led to discrimination against white men. He replied, “White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well, and they were not invited to go into a university or a college.” He added that people who deserved jobs or college spots were sometimes blocked.
Trump said the laws “accomplished some very wonderful things, but it also hurt a lot of people.” He described the situation as “reverse discrimination,” framing it as unfair treatment for white applicants.
Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, disagreed, saying there is no evidence that white men faced discrimination because of civil rights laws. According to the Independent, he highlighted that the laws were designed to correct long-standing racial barriers in education, employment, and access to opportunities.
Trump’s comments come as his administration rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently encouraged white men who believe they faced workplace discrimination to report it, with acting chair Andrea Lucas saying they “may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws.”
Vice President JD Vance expressed a similar view last December, calling diversity initiatives “a deliberate program of discrimination primarily against white men” and praising the administration for ending them.