FTC chair Andrew Ferguson lauds EEOC for tackling what he calls a previously ignored issue: ‘Protecting white American men from discrimination’
Say, what?
Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Republican Andrew Ferguson sang praises for Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Andrea Lucas for taking on an issue that previous chairs have allegedly avoided: addressing discrimination against white men. The acknowledgment came Thursday during a press conference on work visa programs.
Vice President JD Vance was joined by other officials in a press conference held on Oct. 8 to address alleged fraud within work visa programs as part of the administration’s efforts to regulate immigration. During the briefing, Ferguson called Lucas the “greatest chairman” in EEOC history since Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas led the agency in 1982.
Ferguson went on to tout Lucas’ leadership, stating, “On every issue that previous EEOC’s refused to touch: protecting white American men from discrimination, protecting American citizens from national origin discrimination.” The FTC chair claimed that Lucas, who has criticized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, is working to “defend Americans from these abusive practices.”
Public left in disbelief at Ferguson’s discrimination claims
Lucas has been outspoken about ensuring that white men who claim to have faced workplace discrimination have a legal avenue for recourse. In a December 2025 post on X, she wrote, “Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws.” She said that the EEOC is determined to eliminate race- and sex-based discrimination, including against white males.
Ferguson’s remarks about discrimination against white males, however, were met with incredulity online. Many commenters felt that, in the grand scheme of things, white American males are the least discriminated against compared to their Black, brown, and Asian counterparts.
“White folks have spent generations discriminating against black & brown people (& still do) but now they think any attempt to level the playing field is discrimination of white people,” one commenter wrote. Some accused the administration’s behavior of being something akin to a “fetish” for the narrative they are allegedly reinforcing.
“Has there ever been a more fragile group of people than white men? They genuinely have a victim fetish, it’s so f****** strange. This further proves the point that this entire administration’s role is to push white Christian nationalism down our throats,” a commenter said.
Others who identify as part of the demographic the government claims is being discriminated against alleged that they have not experienced such treatment themselves. One commenter wrote, “White American man here – nobody is discriminating against me.”
Two subgroups of white males say they feel discriminated against
This begs the question: are white males actually being discriminated against? It is important to note that individuals may perceive discrimination in different ways. According to a study on the “perceived racial and gender discrimination among White men from 2014 to 2023,” research showed that 82.75% of white men who participated in the study felt that they were not being discriminated against based on their gender or ethnicity.
The same study, however, identified two groups of white males who consistently reported feeling some level of discrimination: those who were “economically disadvantaged” and those from a “more privileged group threatened by recent social progress.”
The study noted that perceived discrimination for the more privileged group had seen an increase beginning in 2016, which marked the start of Donald Trump’s first term as president. Social movements such as Me Too in 2017 and Black Lives Matter in 2020 reportedly played a role in shaping white males’ perception of discrimination despite having “previously felt content with their societal position.”
While the study didn’t delve into workplace discrimination, The Conversation reported that white males are less likely to file discrimination complaints, accounting for only 10% of the sex-based discrimination complaints filed. But on the off-chance that they do, 68% of them allegedly face employer retaliation. That being said, the outlet suggests that Lucas’ call for white males to file discrimination complaints can potentially have a negative impact on their careers.
The EEOC, however, should work towards supporting efforts to create a workplace environment that treats all workers equally and with respect. Focusing only on a specific demographic, such as white American males, is bound to create dissent.
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