Democratic Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett forcefully defended Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, criticizing those who oppose them as “mediocre white boys” and stating, “If you are competent, you are not concerned.”
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump followed through on his campaign promise to dismantle federal DEI programs by signing an executive order titled Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. The next day, his administration issued a memo instructing department heads in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) offices to notify employees that they were being placed on paid leave due to the offices’ closure.
The debate over DEI has remained heated ever since, and Crockett—an outspoken advocate for such initiatives—has now weighed in.
During an appearance on CNN’s Laura Coates Live, Crockett discussed the reported appointment of Darren Beattie, a speechwriter fired by Trump in 2018 after it was revealed he had attended a conference with white nationalists, to a high-ranking State Department position.
Coates mentioned that Beattie, who previously told the Washington Post that he was not racist, posted last year: “Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work. Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.”
Crockett responded that “coddling for the white boys is what’s happening right now,” adding: “I am tired of the white tears. Listen, if you are competent, you are not concerned.”
“When I walk into Congress every single day, you know why I don’t feel a way and why you can’t make me doubt who I am is because I know that I had to work 10 times as hard as they did just to get into the seat. When you look and you compare me to Marjorie Taylor Greene or me to Lauren Boebert, there is no comparison. And that is the life that we have always lived.
“So, the only people that are crying are the mediocre white boys that have been beaten out by people that historically have had to work so much harder.”
