Donald Trump's cabinet is about as diverse as that of John Quincy Adams. And that's the way MAGA likes it.
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Republicans are vehemently opposed to the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)… especially their interpretation of it. As they tell it, DEI initiatives deprive of equal opportunities a segment of the population that, according to the GOP, is being oppressed: White people (and in particular white males).
Well, not on Donald Trump’s watch.
Two weeks after his election victory, he is on track to assemble the least-diverse team imaginable. If Trump gets his way (and he mostly will), the vast majority of cabinet-level and senior administration officials will be white males.
In fact, as of right now, just about the only people in the cabinet who could truly be called “of color” would be the artificially bronzed Trump himself and his disturbingly tanned secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Sure, there would be the first Latino secretary of state in Marco Rubio, but on the other hand, there is also Pete Hegseth, who sports a tattoo popular with white nationalists.
Republicans say their opposition to DEI is based on a belief that the best person man should get the job/scholarship/etc. (although, historically, that has obviously rarely been the case in the United States of America). Of course, the main goal behind the concept isn’t to put in place quotas, but rather to treat people fairly, embrace their differences, and provide opportunities for all.
But let’s take them at their word.
In that case, assuming that all hiring is entirely merit based, then Trump seems to feel that the people best qualified to run the US government are (predominantly) white males with limited expertise and/or relevant skills.
And the nominees and appointments who are not white males are largely white women so far.
Of course, the real qualification all of them share is blind loyalty to the incoming president and a desire to disrupt or dismantle the government they are asked to lead.
Obviously, in the coming days, it’s quite possible that one of the remaining positions (looking at you, Department of Housing and Urban Development) will be filled by a non-white person, or that a couple more women will get one of the better jobs, but that doesn’t change the fact that Trump’s cabinet and senior White House staff next year will resemble one from 1824 a lot more than those we have seen in recent history.
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
