If Donald Trump were to return to the White House, his close allies aim to drastically alter the government's approach to Civil Rights-era laws, shifting the focus from addressing discrimination against people of color to what they perceive as "anti-white racism," Alex Thompson, a National Political correspondent for Axios said.

Thompson argued that this shift in focus would impact various programs across government and corporate sectors aimed at countering racism and promoting opportunities for minorities, including longstanding policies and recent initiatives established in response to events like the pandemic and George Floyd's murder. 

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said as quoted by Axios that any initiatives associated with what they consider to be Biden's policies would be promptly terminated upon Trump's return to office.

The big picture

Close aides and allies gearing up for a potential second Trump administration have been actively pursuing legal strategies through a series of lawsuits and legal actions, some of which have yielded positive outcomes.

One prominent player in this effort is America First Legal, established by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller, who has positioned the group as a conservative counterpart to the ACLU, as per the report.

In a notable instance, America First Legal invoked the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in February when filing a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount Global. The suit alleged discrimination against a white, male writer on the show "Seal Team" in 2017.

In February, America First Legal lodged a civil rights grievance against the NFL concerning its "Rooney Rule."

Named after the late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, the rule was established in 2003 and broadened in 2022. It mandates NFL teams to interview a minimum of two minority candidates for open positions of general manager, head coach, and coordinator.

America First contended that the rule, due to the constrained time window for hiring executives and coaches post-season, leads to reduced opportunities for equally qualified candidates who are not from minority backgrounds.

In 2021, Miller's organization won a lawsuit that halted the rollout of a $29 billion pandemic relief program intended for restaurants owned by women and minorities, arguing that it unfairly favored non-white-owned businesses.

"This decision marks the initial, yet pivotal, move toward halting government-endorsed racial bias," Miller stated at the time.

Dive deeper

Other organizations aligned with Trump are gearing up for a potential return of his Justice Department to either implement or contest policies on a broader scale.

The Heritage Foundation's well-financed "Project 2025" anticipates a second Trump administration dismantling what it terms "affirmative discrimination."

A portion of the strategy, authored by former Trump Justice Department official Gene Hamilton, contends that  "advancing the interests of certain segments of American society ... comes at the expense of other Americans — and in nearly all cases violates longstanding federal law."

It is worth noting that Hamilton currently serves as the general counsel for America First Legal. These organizations have gained traction with the Supreme Court's rightward shift, particularly with its recent rejection of affirmative action in college admissions. The court's decision determined that programs intended to aid people of color and rectify past injustices discriminated against white and Asian Americans.

In 2021, a federal judge halted a $4 billion initiative aimed at assisting Black farmers. Just this month, another federal judge ruled that the Minority Business Development Agency within the Commerce Department was exhibiting bias against white individuals and mandated that the program be accessible to all.

Trump and racism

The Trump campaign referred to the candidate's previously expressed stances criticizing Biden's initiatives aimed as promoting equity, Axios reported.

"Every institution in America is under attack from this Marxist concept of 'equity,' " Trump said in 2023. "I will get this extremism out of the White House, out of the military, out of the Justice Department, and out of our government."

The Trump campaign's Steven Cheung added: "President Trump is committed to weeding out discriminatory programs and racist ideology across the federal government."

A CBS poll conducted in November revealed that 58% of Trump supporters perceive people of color to have advantages over white individuals, while only 9% of Biden supporters share this view.

Interestingly, recent polls indicate a growing level of support for Trump among Black and Latino voters.

In a broader context, Trump has depicted himself as a target of racism amid his legal challenges. He has frequently accused Black women prosecutors in Georgia and New York of being racially biased.

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