DEI Critics Say Only White Men Are Qualified. Trump's Cabinet Says Otherwise.

on Feb 6, 2025

SAN DIEGO -- As a Mexican American journalist who had to struggle and work extra hard for the last 35 years to succeed in an industry that was built for others, I can't swallow white whine. It's way too bitter. Maybe that's because it is made from sour grapes.

Of course, that particular blend does have a fanbase. It is the official beverage of the Trump administration, which is determined to defend the honor of oppressed white men by declaring war on initiatives that foster diversity, equity and inclusion.

The caricature of DEI is that it promotes the hiring of unqualified women, people of color and members of the LGBT community while denying opportunity to supremely qualified straight white males. We know for a fact that diverse hires are unqualified, the argument goes, because the only qualified people on Earth are indeed straight white males. Everyone else is -- according to right-wingers -- a "DEI hire."

That's funny. What do you call the hiring strategies that yielded the Trump Cabinet, which looks like it came straight from the Island of Misfit Toys? Some of the white men sitting at the table appear to have benefited enormously from their own version of affirmative action.

A frequent target of DEI critics is accomplished Black women. To conservatives, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, former Harvard President Claudine Gay and former Vice President Kamala Harris are all DEI hires.

The recent burst of racist tantrums by Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other Republicans against DEI is fueled by the same thing that propelled earlier attacks on -- you name it -- affirmative action, race-based scholarships, multiculturalism, bilingual education, etc. Basically, anything that was intended to remedy past discrimination or level the playing field is unfair, unacceptable and under fire.

In recent days, Trump has signed three executive orders designed to kill DEI. One order banned DEI programs across the federal government. Another order called for a review of federal grants to make sure they do not finance DEI initiatives. Finally, the third order scrapped Executive Order 11246, which President Lyndon Johnson signed in 1965 to ensure that companies that contract with the federal government didn't discriminate in their hiring practices.

Americans have probably heard the phrase "DEI" mentioned more in the last three weeks than they have in the previous three years. It came up during the confirmation hearing of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who believes the Pentagon has lowered its standards to recruit women and people of color. It also made an appearance after the Los Angeles wildfires, which Trump and MAGA acolytes blamed on diversity efforts undertaken by officials in Southern California. And finally, it was being callously bandied about by Trump and others while bodies were still being fished out of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., after a midair collision involving a commercial airline and an Army helicopter.

Demonizing DEI has become an obsession with the right wing. It's the root of all evil, the reason for all incompetence and a recipe for failure, according to conservatives.

In truth, it's none of the above. It's simply an attempt to adjust to changing demographics and acknowledge the fact that Americans are competing in a global marketplace. Smart companies will recruit employees from all over the world and do what they can to sell their products globally. If some people want to label that "DEI," go ahead.

Meanwhile, Democrats -- who are usually cowards when the subject is race -- are afraid to defend DEI.

One exception is Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who recently told ABC News that, this year, Black History Month should be a time to dispel the lies about DEI.

"We can show people what it truly means when you have to work 10 times as hard, when you have to work through systems that were built up for you to fail, when you have to make sure that you leave the door open for other folks coming behind you," Scott said.

The mayor, who is Black, has even launched a counterattack against DEI's critics. He calls it the "Definitely Earned It" campaign because, for him, that's what DEI really stands for.

Scott applauded those strivers who overcame obstacles and proved critics wrong to get where they are.

"These people weren't DEI -- well, that they were DEI, but DEI in the sense that they definitely earned it," he said. "They earned every single thing that they accomplished because it wasn't given to them."

As someone else who definitely earned it, let me just say this: Preach, brother.

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To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.