Lending his voice to anti-DEI fervor sweeping the Republican party, Donald Trump telegraphed a dramatic shift to America's approach to civil rights if he wins a second term as president, vowing to focus on "anti-white" racism, not on racism against people of color.

Asked about supporters who believe anti-white racism now represents a greater problem than anti-Black racism, the former president told Time magazine: "I think there is a definite anti-white feeling in this country and that can’t be allowed." 

In the exclusive interview, Trump also said he would use the U.S. military to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants; deploy the National Guard to quash protests and gut the U.S. civil service.

Trump on board with plan to curb 'affirmative discrimination'

Led by the Heritage Foundation think tank – which has helped mold the policies of Republican administrations since the Reagan presidency – conservative activists have drawn up an expansive plan known as Project 2025 in anticipation of Trump’s return to power. 

One of the goals of the presidential transition plan is reversing “the DEI revolution” by eliminating policies and programs such as affirmative action which Project 2025 calls "affirmative discrimination."

The plan broadly reflects where Trump's policy stood at the end of his presidency in 2020. In September of that year, his administration issued an executive order prohibiting racial sensitivity training by the federal government and government contractors.

The order had an immediate chilling effect on efforts to reverse historical patterns of discrimination and exclusion in the workplace. President Joe Biden rescinded the order after taking office in January 2021.

Trump aides, allies attack 'DEI revolution'

During the Biden administration, conservative activists picked up the mantle, claiming white workers are being unfairly disadvantaged by DEI initiatives that benefit minorities.

GOP-led legislatures have introduced dozens of bills to restrict DEI in education, state government, contracting and pension investments.

Last year’s Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions set off a wave of legal challenges from former Trump administration official Stephen Miller and anti-affirmative-action activist Edward Blum. Billionaires Elon Musk and Bill Ackman have also assailed DEI efforts as “racist.” 

Two men fought for jobs in a river town50 years later, the nation is still divided.

These efforts have gained momentum. In 2021, a federal judge in Florida blocked a debt relief program for Black farmers. Last month, a federal judge in Texas ruled that a government agency created to boost the fortunes of minority-owned businesses was discriminating against white people and must now serve everyone, regardless of race.

Civil rights advocates reject the notion that America has a problem with anti-white racism.

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, said conservative activists are "advocating for the return of white privilege."

"They’re advocating for the policies that were used during a segregated America,” Morial told USA TODAY in March.

Corporate America has a diversity problem

Alvin B. Tillery Jr., director of the Center for the Study of Democracy and Diversity at Northwestern University, told USA TODAY that conservatives vilify DEI and advance false charges of anti-white racism in an attempt to convince Americans that the nation has solved anti-Black racism.

“These are just codewords they are using to talk amongst themselves about reconstituting the racial order they want,” Tillery told USA TODAY in March.

As the nation grows more diverse and research studies suggest that diverse companies outperform more homogeneous peers, businesses are working to make their workforces and leadership better reflect the communities they serve.

After the 2020 murder of George Floyd forced a historic reckoning with race in America, corporations redoubled those efforts.

Racial parity in the business world is a long way off. A USA TODAY investigation of the nation’s largest companies found that the top ranks are predominantly white and male, while women and people of color are concentrated at the lowest levels with less pay, fewer perks and little opportunity for advancement.

Corporate diversity efforts are broadly supported by the American public. A vast majority of adults – 81% – believe that corporate America should reflect the nation’s diversity, according to a recent study by The Harris Poll. 

Trump vows to reverse Biden 'woke equity' programs

Trump has promised to reverse the Biden administration’s “woke equity” programs and said he will call on Congress to establish a restitution fund for those “unjustly discriminated against by these destructive policies.”

"Every institution in America is under attack from this Marxist concept of 'equity,' " Trump said last year. 

Most white voters supporting Trump believe that racial minorities are favored over white people, according to a CBS poll in November. 

"If you look right now, there’s absolutely a bias against white [people] and that’s a problem,” Trump told Time. 

During his spate of legal troubles, Trump has frequently claimed he, too, is the target of anti-white racism.