WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 24: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press as he and first lady Melania Trump prepare to depart the White House aboard Marine One on January 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. The president is traveling to North Carolina, California, Nevada and Florida over the weekend. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

‘Sounding master race-ish to anyone else?’: Trump’s team refuses to confirm that disabled people should continue working in the White House

President Donald Trump unfoundedly blamed DEI hiring practices for the DC plane collision—particularly the hiring of people with disabilities. Days after the plane crash, Trump’s White House secretary skimmed over a question regarding federal workers with disabilities.

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Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed concerns from the press during a White House press briefing. A reporter brought up that there are over 150,000 disabled in the American workforce. He brought up that President Trump wanted to hire the best workers in the federal government. “Safety aside, does he believe that disabled people do have a place to work in the federal government? Does he also support the current protections for disabled people working in the private sector?”

Leavitt doesn’t directly answer the question. “The president has made it very clear that this is a common-sense solution to solving some of the problems that we have seen at the Federal Aviation Administration. And also, when it comes to federal agencies across our government.” Leavitt also added that people “should not be hired based on their disabilities” and other protected attributes.

Undoubtedly, this doesn’t answer whether or not people with disabilities can continue to work in government—or even in the private sector. After all, Leavitt didn’t clarify that Trump will uphold anti-discriminatory measures for people with disabilities.

What does “common sense” mean in this case?

Not everyone on social media was convinced by Leavitt’s vague answer. One X user wrote, “Is this shit sounding master race-ish to anyone else?” Not only did the press secretary dodge the question, but her response seemed to lean to no. Many assumed that by her answer, the Trump administration equated extraordinary capabilities to able-bodied people only. Meanwhile, there were also some users who supported Leavitt’s response. They wrote, “Commercial aviation is not a place for experiments.”

Nevertheless, people can still be hired for work so long as their disabilities don’t clash with their role. Surely, people with poor eyesight may not be air traffic controllers, but they may be able to be aviation safety inspectors. Merely answering “common sense” isn’t sufficient because people with disabilities are already placed at a categorical disadvantage. They aren’t hired because of their disabilities—but in spite of it. There is already a perception of incompetence among these people, regardless of whether they’re capable of fulfilling their role. The president himself blamed DEI hiring practices and the hiring of people with disabilities in the FAA before the initial results of the investigation were released. Leavitt’s lack of clarity makes the situation even less reassuring.


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