Washington DC - In an interview, President Donald Trump claimed Civil Rights-era protections had resulted in white people being treated "very badly" due to so-called "reverse discrimination."

Trump used a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times last week to double down on his attacks against diversity, equity, and inclusion, claiming that white people have been "very badly treated" since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

"Well, I think that a lot of people were very badly treated," Trump said. "White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well, and they were not invited to go into a university or college."

Trump's comments were a clear attack on affirmative action for college admissions, which was effectively ended by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling. He did not cite any data suggesting white students have been disadvantaged by Civil Rights policy.

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"I think it was unfair in certain cases," Trump continued. "It accomplished some very wonderful things, but it also hurt a lot of people."

"People that deserve to go to a college or deserve to get a job were unable to get a job. So it was; it was a reverse discrimination," he said.

Before the Civil Rights Movement, segregation and racial discrimination were legal and primarily targeted African Americans.

Trump's comments come after a year of crackdowns on universities and other institutions, which have been gutted of funding and grants as part of his administration's anti-DEI push.

Much of this crackdown is being carried out by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which under the Trump administration has dedicated itself to tackling so-called "DEI-related discrimination."

Speaking to the New York Times, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said that there "was no evidence that white men were discriminated against as a result of the civil rights movement."