Overview
- In a Jan. 7 New York Times interview, President Trump said civil-rights-era protections caused 'reverse discrimination' and that white people were 'very badly treated.'
- EEOC chair Andrea Lucas posted a video urging white male workers who believe they faced discrimination to contact the agency and pointed to DEI-related guidance.
- The administration has moved to dismantle DEI offices and in 2025 directed federal agencies to scale back enforcement of elements of the Civil Rights Act.
- Vice President J.D. Vance and senior adviser Stephen Miller amplified the EEOC message while asserting that DEI policies disadvantage white men.
- NAACP president Derrick Johnson and other civil-rights figures rejected the claims, saying there is no evidence of systemic discrimination against white men and warning of weakened protections for historically disadvantaged groups.