White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was widely mocked after she was captured in a screenshot blocking the words "The White House, Washington" on a sign behind her in a perfectly fitting way.
As Leavitt spoke from the podium, an eagle-eyed photographer caught her positioned just right for the sign behind her to read:
"White Washing"
You can see the photo below.
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The jokes came flying.
Trump has made eliminating D.E.I. initiatives a priority, framing it as a move toward a "colorblind and merit-based" society and calling his executive order ending these programs "the most important federal civil rights measure in decades."
His stance aligns with those who use D.E.I. as a catchall critique, arguing that it leads to discrimination against white people and questioning the qualifications of nonwhite and female leaders. During the 2024 campaign, some of Trumpâs allies in Congress dismissively referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as a "D.E.I. hire," and Trump declined to disavow the remarks.
The issue has deepened tensions over race and helped fuel Trumpâs political resurgence, with many votersâboth conservative and moderateâseeking a pushback against what they saw as progressive overreach.
A Pew Research Center survey from November found that while negative views of D.E.I. programs were rising, a majority of American workers still supported their employers focusing on diversity efforts.
Last week, the Defense Intelligence Agency issued a pause on all activities and events tied to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and other "special observances." The move comes in response to President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to halt such initiatives.
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