Donald Trump’s first term and the four years he spent out of power has already had a profound effect on Black America, very little to the good. Because of Trump’s policies and ineptitude, Black people died at a disproportionate rate during COVID-19. We were constantly disparaged, including our countries of origin (shithole countries) and misleading attacks on affirmative action, which will continue to limit educational opportunities at the nation's largest and whitest colleges and universities. Trump’s first term made openly racist behavior acceptable to those who wanted to engage in it. He may not have changed any hearts and minds, but he exposed people to who they already were.
During his first term, Trump pretended to be the president for all Americans. He desired to win a second term and probably believed he needed the support of at least a small percentage of Black and other minority voters while consistently appealing to his base. Now that he’s in his second and presumably last term, combined with the presidential immunity for official acts gifted him by the Supreme Court, Trump has gone all in, embracing his racist views and imposing them via executive orders.
A constant theme of his second term is to eradicate any vestige of what he considers DEI from not only the federal government but also private companies. Trump has an all-encompassing view of what constitutes DEI, taking it to mean anything that involves singling out Black people and other minorities. This includes affirmative action, MWBE programs, and celebrating Black History Month. What Trump may not know or care about is that the primary beneficiaries of DEI, by any definition, have always been white women. But the support he’s withdrawing mostly applies to minorities.
Trump’s attacks on DEI are impacting education and employment. His orders have led to the dismantling of DEI-related departments in the federal government, with those employees often being let go. I credit Trump for creating the mood across the country, which led to many state governments, colleges, and universities eliminating DEI. Trump recently demanded that schools eliminate DEI programs or risk the loss of federal funding.
“Schools have been operating on the pretext that selecting students for ‘diversity’ or similar euphemisms is not selecting them based on race," said Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights. "No longer. Students should be assessed according to merit, accomplishment, and character.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered military recruiters to end a long-standing partnership with the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA), where many of the most talented Black engineers would be present. The natural progression of that thinking will cause them to stop recruiting at HBCUs. Hegseth also ended the celebration of Black History Month, which he called “dead.” An anonymous Army recruiter disagreed with abandoning the BEYA event.
“This is one of the most talent-dense events we do. Our footprint there has always been significant. We need the talent.” — Anonymous
Across the country, the federal government and some states are ending Black History programs, some in anticipation of running afoul of Trump’s wishes.
The wholesale firings of federal government employees are having a disproportionate effect on Black people. The federal government has been changeable regarding hiring Black people throughout history. Trump isn’t specifically targeting Black people like Woodrow Wilson did when trying to segregate the federal government. At various times, most branches of the military have excluded Black people, except, of course, during times of war.
“I would say that I do approve of the segregation that is being attempted in several of the departments,” said Wilson
Trump’s war on DEI has extended to private corporations, with many already eliminating the programs that only existed because private industry followed racist practices. Companies that are eliminating or scaling back their DEI programs include McDonalds, Walmart, Harley Davidson, Ford, Toyota, John Deere, and Tractor Supply. More firms are joining that list daily.
One of the major programs included in most DEI programs was training employees to recognize and eliminate racist practices and to be inclusive in their hiring. Left to their own devices, these firms will drift, if not race, to being what they were for. Black candidates for employment will be considered negatively by some as “DEI candidates or hires.” The common euphemism for DEI is “Didn’t Earn it.” There is now a presumption in MAGA world that most Black people in high positions didn’t merit their spot, and they replaced a deserving white person.
Black people need to be more cognizant of over-policing and police brutality. The one way the federal government used to rein in racist police departments was the use of consent decrees with the threat of reducing federal funds. The Trump Department of Justice has halted all consent decrees being negotiated and ended any efforts to monitor the existing decrees. Trump has ended the reforms being negotiated in Minneapolis and Louisville following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
“The new administration may wish to reconsider settlements and consent decrees negotiated and approved by the prior administration," said acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle. "The Justice Department shall not execute or finalize any settlements or consent decrees approved prior to January 20, 2025, 12:00pm. The memo furthers the department’s goal to speak with one voice in pursuing the administration’s priorities.”
One of Trump's first pardons was of two D.C. police officers, convicted for the death of a Black man and covering up the crime. Trump’s message to the Black community could not be more clear: fear the police.
Black America knows that white supremacy has returned to the White House. One of Elon Musk’s DOGE Youth, Marko Elez, resigned after social media posts caught him bragging he was racist before it was popular. A day later, he was rehired with the support of Elon Musk, J.D. Vance, and Donald Trump.
“I was racist before it was cool,” said Elez
Darren Beattie was assigned to a top State Department role even after his racist comments came to light. There seems to be nothing too racist anyone can say or do to become ineligible to work in the Trump administration.
“Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work," said Darren Beattie. "Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities and demoralizing competent white men.”
Black America under Trump part deux exists in unstable times, reflecting the instability of Trump himself. The beneficiaries will be the small percentage who benefit from the inevitable tax cuts for the rich, of which a few are Black. Even they must toe the Trump line lest they be singled out for persecution. We will see a rise in Black unemployment, an increase in wage and income disparity, and more police brutality. The good news is that it will be easier to spot racists during Trump’s second term. They will wear their racism like a badge of honor.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.