It seems there’s no end to the racism underpinning the Trump administration under President Donald Trump, which regularly trumpets its efforts at remaking the federal government in the image of a Jim Crow, 1950s-era America.
And at some point, critics contend, the racist and bigoted actions are not only about the white power message, but also about stoking manufactured outrage to keep the country as politically divided as possible while diverting attention from the rampant corruption of Trump, his family and his billionaire buddies.
Such is the background of the latest round of backlash in reaction to what opponents call a racist social media post by the Department of Education.
‘Brilliant!’: Trump Thought He Was Getting Praised in the Oval Office — Then the Internet Realized What He’d Just Fallen for When an Unexpected Guest Pulled a Savage Move
The department posted a photo from National Geographic showing a classroom full of white children from 1959 reciting the pledge of allegiance with the caption, “MAKE EDUCATION GREAT AGAIN.”
The implication and message the department is sending out with the post is clear, and it didn’t take long for social media to erupt in anger and disbelief.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was one of the first out of the gate, using just two words to condemn the agency, drive home a clear and direct counter message, and name it.
“WHITE NATIONALISM?”
This poster blasted the department, which is led by former pro wrestling executive Linda McMahon, “Why are you revering a clearly racially segregated time & classroom? What is wrong with you??”
Another user called it out for what it is.
“This shameless propaganda targeting ironically uneducated white r-tards uses a 1959 image from a virginia classroom during a period where the state was still actively contravening the brown decision on desegregation of schools.. so yeah, maga can eat sh-t.”
This X user bluntly pointed out what the department was really trying to say with the message.
“This post does three things: 1. Promotes anti-Americanism 2. Implicitly implies it is somehow wrong or immoral to believe America should remain a predominantly White country (btw I thought White erasure was a myth) 3. Conversely implies we are living under non-White nationalism.”
From removing Black and women’s history from the Pentagon and military annals to whitewashing American history on a wider scale, including scrubbing diversity from museums and taking down historical markers on slavery and the Native American journey from National Parks and other federal buildings, the Trump administration is working hard and fast to destroy the country’s rich and diverse history and replace it with only white male accomplishments.
All of this, which is still underway, follows one of Trump’s first executive orders in January of 2025, ordering the elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, offices, and training across the federal government. Trump then used a dog whistle when demanding that the so-called “merit-based policies” replace DEI initiatives.
