“Our country is going to be based on merit again,” said President Trump in the White House’s official statement on the April 23 signing of an Executive Order to ‘Restore Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy.’

Our, perhaps more appropriate title, may have been Restoring Racism.

The sweeping order aims to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability and instructs the Attorney General to repeal or amend all Title VI (racial non-discrimination) regulations that contemplate disparate-impact liability.

All under the right-wing rhetoric of ‘merit-based’ employment and of leveling the playing field for all Americans.

But the field is far from level in America.

Take the poverty rate in America, there is no comparison, if you are White, you are far less likely to live under the poverty line than your fellow Americans who are of minority descent.

The most recent data from the 2023 census found that 11% of White Americans live under the poverty threshold – which the U.S. Census Bureau defined for a family with two adults and one child as $24,526 in 2023.

Compare that with Native Americans, who were experiencing poverty at the highest rate of 24.2%, that is, basically 1 in every 4 Native American is living in hardship.

A close second were Black Americans at 20.6% – 1 in every 5. Hispanic Americans fared slightly better at 16.6% – but still all were much higher than the 11% of White Americans.

Food insecurity rates also paint a very uneven field.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 11.1% of all U.S. households are food insecure – the average for White households is below the average at just 8%, compared to American Indian households (21.7 percent) and Black households (21.0 percent).

Is their lack of ‘merit’ making them go hungry?

Additionally, unemployment statistics – the very jobs that Trump feels are unfairly being provided to less qualified individuals because of their race – actually show a much different scenario.

There is a 2-to-1 ratio that typically characterizes the Black-to-White unemployment. White Americans are far less likely to be unemployed or underemployed than minorities.

Does the President really think that the gap is all based on racial minorities not being qualified enough? Doubtful, given that minority participation in higher education has been steadily increasing.

In 2022, the American Council on Education found that for Educational Attainment of Adults Ages 25 and Older, by Race that 55.5% of Black Americans have at least some college education.

So, it appears they have at least some measure of ‘merit’, but why are they hired less often?

Perhaps we only need to look as far as this Administration’s Cabinet to see what is happening.

Including the President and Vice-President, there are currently 23 individuals who make up the Cabinet.

Of the 23 individuals, only one is Black: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Turner. Two have Hispanic heritage – Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard is part Samoan.

The other 19 are all White.

Clearly, Trump has already put into action this new Executive Order when filling the ranks of his Cabinet.

Were all chosen solely on their high standing ‘merit’?

Given recent incidents and lapses in judgment, perhaps Trump’s idea of ‘merit’ isn’t the best measure of worthiness for such important positions.

Ultimately, this Administration is turning back the clock on advancement for all Americans, in favor of pandering to their base.