🧩 How Trump Killed the "Black Jobs" He Claims to Champion

The linguistic pretzel of taking credit for racial employment gains while banning racial employment categories

Mar 29, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

The current president says he created more jobs for Black Americans than anyone else 🖤💼, and uses this claim to show he's done good things for Black communities 🌟. But at the same time, he's banned programs and even words that acknowledge racial differences in how people are treated 🚫📜. It's like saying "I'm the best at helping this group!" 🙌 while also saying "We shouldn't recognize that this group exists or needs special attention." ❌👥 This contradiction shows that the real issue isn't about treating everyone equally ⚖️ - it's about powerful people wanting to control when we can talk about race and when we can't 💬🔒.

🗝️ Takeaways

🔍 Trump's claims about being "the best president for Black jobs" directly contradict his administration's ban on DEI language and frameworks
🔄 By eliminating DEI initiatives, the administration has semantically eliminated the very category of "Black jobs" it claims to have improved
🧱 This contradiction reveals that opposition to DEI was never about "colorblindness" but about controlling when race can be acknowledged
🌡️ The impact on marginalized communities is real: less accountability for workplace discrimination and fewer supports for equity
🤝 Resistance requires coalition-building, community organizing, and refusing to let these contradictions go unchallenged
🗣️ Naming and documenting the effects of DEI rollbacks is essential for countering the administration's contradictory narrative

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The Contradiction of "Black Jobs" in an Anti-DEI Administration: Hypocrisy at the Border of Truth

Here at the edges of empire, where the desert meets barbed wire and surveillance towers, contradictions reveal themselves more clearly than anywhere else. From my outdoor patio table next to my Three Sisters’ Garden in the borderlands, I've been watching our nation's political theater unfold with a mixture of anger, disbelief, and the dark humor that has kept our communities alive for generations.

Qué chistoso, no? How funny it is, in the most unfunny way possible, to witness the blatant hypocrisy of our political leaders – particularly our current president, Donald Trump, who has returned to office with the same contradictory rhetoric that defined his previous term.

The Dual-Faced Claim: "Black Jobs" vs. Anti-DEI Crusades

For those who haven't been following closely, let me provide some context. Throughout both his campaigns and previous administration, Trump repeatedly boasted about being "the best president for Black jobs" and "the best president for Black unemployment." He continued this rhetoric during his 2024 campaign, claiming credit for historically low Black unemployment rates during his first term.

At the same time, Trump and his allies have waged an aggressive campaign against what they call "woke ideology" – specifically targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in government, education, and business. Within hours of his inauguration in January 2025, Trump issued executive orders aimed at dismantling DEI programs across federal agencies, calling them "divisive" and "discriminatory."

Let's be clear about what DEI actually is before we dissect this contradiction:

Diversity: Recognition and representation of different social identities in institutions and workplaces
Equity: Fair treatment and access to opportunities for all groups, particularly those historically marginalized
Inclusion: Creating environments where all individuals feel welcomed and valued

The administration's talking point is that these programs are "reverse discrimination" that unfairly advantage some racial groups over others. They argue that colorblindness – not recognizing race at all – is the only fair approach.

Yet in the same breath, the same administration celebrates its record on "Black jobs" and "Black unemployment."

¿Me estás tomando el pelo? Are you pulling my leg?

The Blatant Contradiction

Let's break down the hypocrisy here:

Claiming credit for "Black jobs" explicitly acknowledges race as a category that matters in employment statistics
Using these statistics as a political talking point affirms that racial equity in employment is a worthwhile goal
Taking pride in improved employment for a specific racial group suggests that government actions can and should address historical inequities
Highlighting "Black jobs" implies that the economic wellbeing of specific racial groups is worth monitoring and improving

All of these positions directly contradict the "colorblind" approach the administration claims to support when attacking DEI initiatives.

The cognitive dissonance is astounding. If tracking and improving employment outcomes for Black Americans is something to be proud of (which it absolutely should be), then why is it suddenly "divisive" to have programs specifically designed to continue improving employment equity?

Historical Context: Nothing New Under the Desert Sun

From my perspective as an Indigenous Chicano activist who has lived through generations of similar contradictions, this is simply the latest verse in a very old song of American hypocrisy regarding race.

The playbook is familiar:

Claim racism is over and race-conscious policies are no longer needed
Dismantle programs designed to address ongoing inequities
Take credit for any positive outcomes for marginalized groups that occur despite these rollbacks
Use these outcomes to further justify dismantling equity-focused programs

Our great-grandfathers saw this happen after Reconstruction, when promises of land and freedom gave way to Jim Crow. Our grandmothers saw it during the backlash to the Civil Rights Movement. Our parents witnessed it during the "colorblind" rhetoric of the Reagan years.

And now, here we are again.

La misma historia, diferentes actores. Same story, different actors.

The Impact on Our Communities

This hypocrisy isn't just an intellectual contradiction – it has real consequences for communities like mine, for Black communities, and for all marginalized peoples caught in the gears of this machine.

When DEI initiatives are dismantled:

Workplace discrimination goes unchecked and unmonitored
Barriers to employment for marginalized groups remain invisible and unaddressed
The burden of fighting for basic fairness falls even more heavily on individuals rather than institutions
Progress toward equity stalls or reverses

Meanwhile, the administration can continue cherry-picking statistics that paint a rosy picture, divorced from the lived reality of people in our communities.

For those of us in the borderlands, where Indigenous and Latinx identities intersect with complex histories of colonization and resistance, these contradictions feel especially acute. My community has always existed in the spaces between official narratives – neither fully recognized by the state nor fully erased by its policies.

We've watched politicians praise our labor while demonizing our existence. We've built this country's infrastructure while being told we don't belong in the nation we helped create. We know exactly what it means when those in power speak with la lengua bifurcada – the forked tongue.

The Idiocracy of Doublespeak

The term "idiocracy" in the context of this contradiction feels apt. We're expected to accept transparent doublespeak without question:

"We don't see race" AND "We're great for Black jobs"
"DEI is divisive" AND "Look how we've helped specific racial groups"
"Everyone should be treated the same" AND "We specifically track how well certain groups are doing"

But here's the most stunning irony of all: By banning DEI language and frameworks, the Trump administration has, from a purely semantic standpoint, killed all "Black jobs." If we follow their anti-DEI logic to its conclusion, we can no longer legally categorize employment by race. No more tracking "Black unemployment." No more celebrating "Black job creation." These categories become forbidden under the very policies this administration champions.

So the man who claims to be "the best president for Black jobs" has simultaneously made it impossible for "Black jobs" to exist as a recognized category. The linguistic pretzel here would be comical if it weren't so destructive to actual progress toward equity.

This linguistic gymnastics would be almost impressive if it weren't so destructive. It creates an environment where meaningful discourse about racial equity becomes impossible, because the terms of the debate shift constantly to serve political convenience.

Es como jugar ajedrez con una paloma. It's like playing chess with a pigeon – it knocks over the pieces, defecates on the board, and struts around like it won.

Beyond the Contradictions: What This Reveals

Look deeper, and what this contradiction reveals is even more disturbing than simple hypocrisy. It shows that the opposition to DEI was never about colorblindness or treating everyone equally. If it were, Trump would never mention "Black jobs" at all.

Instead, this contradiction exposes that the real agenda is about maintaining power while appearing to care about equity. It's about having it both ways – claiming credit for racial progress while dismantling the very structures designed to create and sustain that progress.

It's about controlling who gets to define when race matters and when it doesn't.

From where I stand, with feet in multiple worlds and histories, the pattern is clear. Progress toward equity is acknowledged only when it can be used as a shield against accusations of racism or when it can be weaponized for political gain. But the actual work of creating that equity? That's labeled as divisive, as special treatment, as reverse discrimination.

Finding Hope in Resistance

Despite all this, I remain hopeful. I have to be. My ancestors didn't survive centuries of colonization, violence, and erasure for me to give up now.

Our communities have always found ways to resist, to organize, and to create change even in the face of blatant contradictions and systemic obstacles. And we will continue to do so.

Here's what we can do now:

Name the contradictions openly and refuse to let them pass unchallenged
Document the effects of DEI rollbacks on our communities with data and personal stories
Build coalitions across marginalized groups to strengthen resistance
Support local organizations doing the work of equity whether the government backs them or not
Engage in community education about these issues to counter misinformation
Vote and organize politically at every level – local, state, and federal
Practice mutual aid and community care to support those most affected by these policies

Remember that progress has never come solely from the top. It has always emerged from communities organizing, demanding change, and creating alternative structures when existing ones fail us.

No nos rendiremos. We will not surrender.

Moving Forward Together

I invite you to join this conversation and this movement in whatever way makes sense for your context and capacity. Whether you're directly affected by these policies or a committed ally, there is a place for you in this work.

Some specific ways to get involved:

Join racial justice organizations in your area
Support Indigenous-led and Black-led movements for change
Have difficult conversations about these contradictions with friends and family
Challenge your workplace, school, or community organization to maintain commitments to equity despite federal rollbacks
Amplify marginalized voices through your platforms and networks

The contradictions around "Black jobs" and anti-DEI policies are just one example of the larger pattern of hypocrisy that shapes our political landscape. By recognizing these patterns, we can better resist them and create alternative visions for our collective future.

Juntos, somos más fuertes. Together, we are stronger.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your perspectives in the comments below:

Have you noticed other examples of this kind of contradiction in political rhetoric about race and equity? How do these contradictions affect your community?
What strategies have you found effective for maintaining momentum toward equity in your workplace or community despite federal rollbacks of DEI initiatives?