FLASHBACK: Trump Said He Was ‘Fine’ With Affirmative Action on Campaign Trail in 2015
On Thursday, after a majority on the Supreme Court ruled that Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s consideration of race in their admissions programs violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, former president Donald Trump took a victory lap.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that it was a “great day for America.” He continued:
People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded. This is the ruling everyone was waiting and hoping for and the result was amazing. It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world. Our greatest minds must be cherished and that’s what this wonderful day has brought. We’re going back to all merit-based—and that’s the way it should be!
A spokeswoman for his PAC, meanwhile, declared that he “made today’s historic decision to end the racist college admissions process possible because he delivered on his promise to appoint constitutionalist justices.”
But on the campaign trail in 2015, Trump told Chuck Todd that he was “fine” with affirmative action, as the rapid response account of his 2024 rival Ron DeSantis was quick to point out:
Sad day for affirmative-action advocates. pic.twitter.com/DdLXun4OcR
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 29, 2023
Their conversation went like this:
TODD: Affirmative action: Should we keep it? Yes or no?
TRUMP: I’m fine with affirmative action. I mean, I think-
TODD: Should it be expanded, or it should be limited?
TRUMP: Well, it should be, you know, you have to also go free market. You have to go capability. You have to do a lot of things. But I’m fine with affirmative action, we’ve lived with it for a long time and I’ve lived with it for a long time and I’ve had great relationships with lots of people.
