During a recent discussion with my two nephews–who, while living on opposite coasts, have somehow, shockingly, become middle-aged adults–one of them offered an observation that built on and combined two aspects of the MAGA movement that I have (separately) noted on this platform: racism and victimhood.
My nephew agreed with a recent quote by Sherrilyn Ifill, a law professor at Howard University, who opined that MAGA “is fueled by white supremacist ideology. That is the seductive messaging through which so many have been lured into participating in this national betrayal.” But he also attributed Trump’s appeal to the grievances of people whose lives haven’t met their desires or expectations, and who–rather than taking responsibility for that failure–prefer to see themselves as victims of nefarious “others.”
The characteristics of those two groups are–rather obviously– closely allied, so the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back efforts to promote civic equality panders to both. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that, as Trump’s approval ratings have continued to tank, those efforts have accelerated.
Recently, Talking Points Memo described the methods the administration is employing to resegregate the workforce.The report began by citing the data: when Trump took office in January 2025, unemployment was at 4 percent overall, and at 5.3 percent for Black workers. In November, the total unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, and the Black unemployment rate had soared to 8.3 percent.
One contributing factor is Trump’s mass firings of federal employees. Black people disproportionately work in the public sector, representing nearly 19 percent of the federal workforce compared to 13 percent of the civilian workforce. And they have been disproportionately impacted by Trump’s purges: Analyses by ProPublica and The New York Times found that the administration conducted its steepest staff cuts at the agencies with the most nonwhite and women workers, like the Department of Education and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
But the federal layoffs offer only a partial explanation. What the data is beginning to reveal is the devastating cumulative effects of the Trump administration’s policies for workers of color.
The article goes on to make explicit a connection that even my graduate students tended to miss: the very real–and often immediate– impact of government’s largely unnoticed structural and regulatory changes on the day-to-day prospects of citizens.
Among other things, changes in seemingly arcane rules can change the racial composition of the workforce.
For example, among Trump’s blizzard of Executive Orders are several that characterize longstanding, Johnson-era affirmative action mandates as “illegal DEI” (his administration’s disfavored diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives). Instead of requiring companies to affirm that their employment policies are non-discriminatory, and that they have taken “affirmative action” to eliminate bias from their recruitment efforts, Trump is requiring them to certify that they are not “promoting DEI.” The administration didn’t bother to define the term, “effectively discouraging companies that want to keep their government contracts from engaging in any activity that could conceivably be characterized as DEI. For reference, to date, the things the administration has decried as DEI include the Calibri font and indoor plumbing in Black neighborhoods.”
As I reported a few days ago, the Trump administration continues to dismantle longstanding legal doctrines that allow people to challenge discrimination in the workplace. As I explained, disparate impact allowed courts to recognize the reality that even policies that are neutral on their face can have a discriminatory impact, and that intentional discrimination is often hard to prove. For some 50 years, litigants have been able to prevail in discrimination lawsuits by demonstrating the real-world disproportionate effects of a particular rule or practice that doesn’t serve a necessary purpose.
The numerous structural changes intended to shield discriminatory motives and actions haven’t been confined to doctrinal matters. The administration has also pulled back the enforcement of anti-domestic-terrorism projects–efforts that had largely focused on the White nationalist and neo-Nazi groups responsible for the majority of domestic terrorism assaults.
The Guardian reports that the FBI has openly rerouted resources away from investigations of far-right extremists, including one called “the Base” which recruits through a Russian email and is now apparently free to pursue its “stated objective of fomenting an armed insurgency against the US government.”
As Talking Points Memo notes, these policies and several others work in tandem, making it is harder for people of color to enter the workforce and harder for them to remain there. If they are victimized by illegal discrimination, it’s now harder for them to do anything about it.
On the other hand, it’s much easier to be a neo-Nazi terrorist.
Well, the good news, or the silver lining, is that the MAGA coalition is breaking apart. I have agreed with Marjorie Greene more in the last two months than with any other MAGA. Her stage presence about “Jewish Space Lasers” must have been an act. 😉
If you spend a minute on X.com, you will see America First peeps making sense, and they are angry because they realized Trump’s Rogue Gangsta administration has conned them. Again. After four years of spewing bullshit in Trump 1.0, they somehow believed that he was telling the truth this go around.
Even Tucker Carlson is making sense. This doesn’t bode well for Trump and his congress critters with a coming election. Their only hope is to cancel the election.
And, shame on all the young and brown people who voted for Trump. It shows the propaganda clipped them again by having them vote against their own best interests. I know in our small community, there were brown and white politicians switching to the Republican Party because the Democrats were trying to protect the gay and trans community. Oops!
Are they going to switch back?
I just read that if Trump goes after Greenland, NATO will crumble. Who benefits from that? 😉
#kompromat #blackmail
And all this destruction is happening so quickly. Will honest, rational and patriotic citizens be able to repair the damage just as quickly? Of course not. It’ll be quicker than some have predicted, but it will take a decade or two to rebuild the better government we need.
Meanwhile, the Trump gang – including the aging, ill, demented and pathological clown at the top – must all be tried and convicted of the sedition, treason and murder crimes they’ve committed. Oh, and let’s send John Roberts a fresh string of pearls to clutch as his favorite president is sent to the dungeons of the states.
The alacrity with which corporations, universities, state & local govts, and our military “dumped DEI” reflects the shallowness and hypocrisy of their claimed commitment to racial and gender equality. Add *male* superiority to racism and victimhood as foundational elements of the MAGAtcy.
The alacrity with which corporations, universities, state & local govts, and our military “dumped DEI” reflects the shallowness and hypocrisy of their claimed commitment to racial and gender equality. Add *male* superiority to racism and victimhood as foundational elements of the MAGAtcy.
Try as they might, the Trump administration cannot erase the fundamental basis of capitalism…. competition. They can limit the number and race of the players, they can disregard the rules, they can cheat and lie all they want, but in the end some will be winners and some will be losers. And the MAGA base does not get that.
I want to see what happens when the first US soldier is killed in Venezuela.
Let’s not forget that today is the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Capital. Or forget that the only authorized physical memorial, a small plaque honoring the capital police hurt that day, has never been put in place. Why haven’t we heard a peep from the DEMs about this, especially today? Guess Epstein is “cooler”…
From the Times this morning: “One in three Americans approves of the U.S. military raid that captured Maduro, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded yesterday. Trump’s overall approval rating was 42 percent, the highest since October.” A sad commentary on our country….
Lester,
Epstein, who?
Don’t you know we invaded Venezuela and kidnapped their president? 😉
In order to begin reversing the damage caused we have to have a veto proof majority in both houses for a minimum of two years, and a method of enforcement that doesn’t rely on the executive branch. While the first is possible it’s not probable and the second is IMHO impossible. This assumes, of course, that Orange Jesus acknowledges that the other branches of government even exist.
The worst thing that has happened isn’t even on the radar. He seems to have found his “Jack Ripper.” (Some of you will recognize that name from ” Dr. Strangelove ” and if you don’t get the reference, please do yourselves a favor and watch the movie). It’s as if the last good man left the Military because he refused to blow unidentified boats out of the water without proof of any criminal activity. Whenever I look at our Department of War, I wonder about the link between hubris and stupidity. They seem to have an abundance of both.
Regarding that 1/6 memorial plaque….https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-jan-6-plaque-was-made-to-honor-law-enforcement-at-the-capitol-its-whereabouts-are-unknown. Only coverage I have seen…press is too busy with bleed leads. No wonder MAGA wants to get rid of PBS.
Gee, Todd, in your last question, are you referring to Putin? He must be virtually orgasmic with pleasure, watching the man who “Can’t be played.” And, MTG was all about performative crap! But, I have to give her credit for originality.
Lester, that is just awful, but thanks for the info.
Peggy, now I understand why our War Minister is still there: “Whenever I look at our Department of War, I wonder about the link between hubris and stupidity. They seem to have an abundance of both.” Just a copy of the essences of Herr Leader!
I am convinced that the specificity, and intensity of Trump’s dismantling of so much is coming directly out of the Heritage Foundation’s plan for 2025…which, of course, Trump once denied he’d ever heard of.
In a follow-up, the nephews mentioned in the post, could be asked about an opinion by Efran Meeny published, 1-2-2026, in the National Catholic Reporter,
‘’Black Americans need Solidarity from the Catholic Church in 2026 – or else.”
Meeny identifies Catholic colleges as examples of failures of courage but, more importantly, an action by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, he reports and registers as significant. In Sept., an essay, “DEI means God,” written by an African American bishop was removed from the Conference’s site.
Meeny calls out Pope Leo for his robust concern for immigrants but, crickets about racism in the US.
Meeny cites similar statistics to Sheila Kennedy’s about Black poverty and unemployment.
Is Meeny’s framing wrong, is his plea, misguided ? How much of Trump’s damage aligns with the powerful in the politicized, conservative, Catholic sect? Is the fight for democracy doomed when the enemy is not named? Do Liberals’ membership in the Church create a false perception for the public? How are the Church liberals going to influence and stop the Trump-appointed conservative Catholics initiating and implementing anti-DEI policy?
The citizens of Indiana can check out the big picture- who has been hurt by the Catholic plan for school privatization (ProPublica site, “On a mission from God…”). Then, they can do three Google queries and read the AI generated answers.
(1) Lilly Endowment school choice (2) Lilly Endowment media grants (3) Lilly Endowment grants Catholic.
As Trump takes over the western hemisphere, be advised, the first and largest corporate slaveowner in the Americas was the Catholic Church. Jefferson warned, in every age, in every country, the priest aligns with the despot.
It’s a travesty that the plaque that honors the capitol police that bravely defended the Capitol on 1/6/21, some of whom were gravely injured and died, has been removed due to Mike Johnson’s saying that the law for the plaque was not done correctly.
Jack’s Smith’s (special prosecutor for 1/6) testimony to a house oversight committee stated under oath that the revolt of 1/6 was planned and caused by trump. The vice presidents call to harm and not calling in National Guard to quell the riot for three hours was all trump’s doing. Also, it took much prodding by others to get trump to finally call off the violence of his renegades. Smith testified that they had solid, verified evidence and witnesses to prove trump’s guilt of the insurrection.
Smith was gagged to reveal much about the documents case due to the judge’s order even though the case had been closed.
It’s been reported that over thirty of the convicted insurrectionists that trump pardoned on his first day back in office have gone on to commit more crimes.
trump was and continues to be a roving crime wave that has greatly harmed this country on the world stage and at home. He needs to be stopped!
Sheila said: “Trump’s appeal to the grievances of people whose lives haven’t met their desires or expectations, and who–rather than taking responsibility for that failure–prefer to see themselves as victims of nefarious “others.” ”
Perhaps they are victims or nefarious others, just not the ones they think,. You need to read the book “Poor White Trash – The 400-year untold History of Class in America”, by Nancy Isenberg. the Confederates called the union forces “mudsills” meaning the lowest of the low. I have an extra copy if you want to borrow it!