"Take America Back..." to 1776: Trump and the Restoration of the Founder's Vision of a White Republic

Next year, the nation will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States. The American republic was founded based on an ideal that did not apply to everyone. The white men who drafted the Declaration did not intend for the words in the preamble - “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” - to apply to women, Indigenous People, or African Americans.

The civil rights revolution of the 1960s forced America to hold up a mirror to itself, one with the words of the preamble of the Declaration inscribed in translucent letters. Prior to the 1960s, if you were Native American, African American, Latino, or LGBTQ, you struggled to see yourself in the mirror. However, when most white Americans – especially white men – held up the mirror, the only face they recognized was their own.

The activists who protested during the 1960s were determined to make the country live up to its founding creed, to bring into existence an inclusive society. Inspired by the Declaration’s assumption of the equality of all people with rights impossible to be taken away or given up, they demanded that America become a country for everyone, not just white people.

The fight for equality during the 1960s led to landmark legislation, including the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Combined, these pieces of legislation intended to guarantee equal employment opportunity, end discrimination in public accommodations and housing on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin, and banned literacy tests and poll taxes, and prevented states from adopting other voter suppression tactics.

An inclusive society is one that sets as a goal the respectful, equitable and full participation of every individual. An inclusive society is one in which every individual is not simply tolerated but is valued regardless of how different they are. In an inclusive society, diversity enriches the social fabric by expanding and ensuring access to opportunities in all aspects of life for everyone regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or physical or mental impairment.

Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders with the goal of ending diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs in government and the private sector.

Trump obsessively attacks DEI, even when there is no clear link to the topic being discussed. For example, without a shred of evidence during a hastily called press conference, he claimed diversity programs caused the collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet.

Despite the transparency of Trump’s grievance-fueled white identity politics, the mainstream media and leaders of the Democrat Party are sticking to their initial explanation for his return to the White House, one based largely on the idea that his supporters blamed the Democrat Party for the economic upheaval caused by post-pandemic inflation and the long-term effects of de-industrialization and globalization.

But the economic situation in America does not fully explain the outcome of the 2024 election or his popularity with a majority of white Americans.

In 2008, the U.S. Census bureau projected that by 2042, the United States would be a majority minority country. The press and Democrats continue to underestimate the magnitude of the racial anxiety and anger generated by the possibility that a white majority would disappear in America.

The sense of loss and decline – that whites are being replaced – is palpable to many. The belief is that people of color can become the majority only at the expense of the white population.

The racial and social hierarchies that have characterized America since its founding gave many whites a sense of purpose and meaning. Now, it feels like that birthright has been stolen. MAGA’s response is, “take America back.”

Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion are a centerpiece of his agenda, not reducing the prices of eggs, gas or rent.

Trump promised his supporters that he would take the country back for them. Erasing the social and racial progress of the last 60 years appears to be his number one priority, a way to fulfill a promise he plans to keep.