The New Dark Ages: Jim Crow 2.0

By Rob C.

Art by Bill Day

TL;DR: Trump claims he’s “the least racist person,” then immediately starts rolling back civil rights protections like it’s a clearance sale on the 1960s. From gutting anti-discrimination rules to enabling voter suppression and rewriting history, this isn’t subtle—it’s a full-speed sprint back to 1950s segregation, just dressed up in legal language and red hats.

Blow Back

Donald Trump loves to tell us he’s “the least racist person you’ve ever met.” Which is a bold claim for a man who seems to treat the Civil Rights Movement like a rough draft that needs editing. Because while everyone was busy watching “Donny Draft-Dodger” light the Middle East of fire and torch the economy with reckless tariff policy and inflationary chaos, he was busy signing Executive Orders to take America back to a time when “separate but equal” wasn’t a historical shame, but a policy goal.

On day one—because of course it was day one—Trump signed an EO rescinding the non-discrimination requirements for federal contractors. You know, that annoying rule that says companies taking taxpayer money shouldn’t discriminate based on race or gender. Apparently, that was just too “woke” to survive.

But he didn’t stop there. Why settle for rolling back the 21st century when you can go full time machine? He also removed longstanding federal prohibitions against segregated facilities for contractors. That means restrooms, waiting rooms, dining areas—yes, the kind of segregation we supposedly buried decades ago—is suddenly back on the menu. Because nothing screams “unity” like a return to separate toilets.

But don’t worry, he’s the least racist person. Just… coincidentally undoing civil rights protections like he’s speedrunning American history in reverse.

But wait, there’s more. His “War on Woke” has expanded to a full-blown war on history. The Pentagon recently “accidentally” scrubbed mentions of Black Americans and other minority icons from its websites, including the legendary Jackie Robinson. Other “errors” in the purge included articles on the Navajo Code Talkers and Ira Hayes—the Pima Indian Marine who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima. It seems the “least racist person” finds Black and Indigenous contributions to military history a bit too “distracting.”

Because nothing says “strong nation” like pretending your progress never happened.

It’s not just policy. It’s narrative control.

Now let’s talk about where “Al Ca-Porn” learned all this charming behavior.

Like Father, Like Son: The Apple and the Rotten Tree

If you’re shocked by this, you haven’t been paying attention to the family business. Donny learned at the feet of his father, Fred Trump—a man who ran his New York apartment buildings with the subtle grace of a Klan rally. In 1973, the DOJ sued Fred, Donald, and Trump Management for severe racial discrimination in housing. Not subtle discrimination. Not “alleged misunderstandings.” We’re talking about applications from Black tenants being marked with codes like “C” for “colored,” and employees being instructed to lie about availability or inflate rents to keep buildings white.

Classy stuff.

The case resulted in a 1975 consent decree requiring the Trumps to, among other things, actually follow the law—submit vacancy reports, advertise fairly, and train employees not to discriminate like it was a company policy manual.

And yet, just three years later, the Justice Department was back in court, accusing them of violating that agreement and continuing discriminatory practices.

So when Trump tells you who he is, don’t believe him. When history tells you who he is, believe that.

Because the rotten apple didn’t just fall from the tree—it opened a franchise.

The Crusaders and the Attack Dogs

Now fast forward to today, where the Supreme Court has been hard at work dismantling voting protections under the polite fiction of “colorblindness.” By gutting key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, they’ve effectively handed states the green light to redraw maps however they like.

And what a coincidence—those maps just happen to dilute Black voting power.

It’s estimated that Black representation in the South could be slashed by 33% as states race to eliminate Black voting districts. Districts that remain are being redrawn to pack or fracture minority voters. It’s not just Jim Crow, where the rules were explicit. This is Jim Crow 2.0—same outcome, minus the white sheets.

No literacy tests. No poll taxes. Just surgical precision in removing certain votes.

Totally different. Definitely not racist.

Meanwhile, Trump’s yapping little attack dog, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, has launched a federal fraud investigation against the Southern Poverty Law Center. Why? Because they had the audacity to investigate the “very fine people” in white supremacist hate groups. Apparently, investigating Nazis is “fraud,” but trying to segregate federal restrooms is “freedom.”

Apparently identifying hate groups is now the real crime.

This is the upside-down world we’re living in—where calling out racism is treated as worse than the racism itself. Where the watchdog becomes the villain, and the wolves file defamation claims.

And let’s not forget the “Head Crusader” himself, Pete Hegseth. Since taking over the Pentagon, Hegseth has been “clearing house” of generals, and—shocker—many of them just happen to be women or people of color. He recently personally intervened to block the promotions of four officers—two Black men and two women—to the rank of brigadier general. Hegseth has dismissed DEI as the “single dumbest phrase in military history,” even though, I believe the dumbest thing in the military is Pete Hegseth. He’s fired top leaders like Air Force Gen. CQ Brown and Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, ensuring the top brass is as white and male as a 1950s country club.

Promotions? Delayed. Careers? Stalled. Representation? Shrinking.

Yes, the idea that a diverse, inclusive force—one that reflects the country it serves—might actually be stronger is now considered controversial.

But sure, inclusion is the problem.

The irony, of course, is that every serious study shows diverse teams perform better, adapt faster, and make better decisions. But facts are inconvenient when your real goal is consolidating power within a narrow, familiar demographic.

Because let’s be honest: this isn’t about efficiency. It’s not about merit. It’s about control.

It’s about deciding who belongs—and who doesn’t.

And when you zoom out, the pattern becomes impossible to ignore. Voting rights weakened. Civil rights protections rolled back. Historical narratives rewritten. Representation reduced across institutions of power.

This isn’t random. It’s coordinated.

It’s a slow-motion rollback of decades of progress, dressed up in legal arguments and culture war distractions. It’s taking the foundation of equality and quietly removing the load-bearing beams. And then acting surprised when the structure starts to collapse.

So yes, welcome to The New Dark Ages—where rights are conditional, history is negotiable, and power is increasingly concentrated in the hands of people who think 1950 was a golden age. An era when voting was restricted. When discrimination was legal. When opportunity depended on who you were, not what you could do.

So here we are, “Making America Great Again” by returning to a racist past where only the “right kind of Americans” have a voice, women are sidelined, and the “least racist person” is leading the parade.

F*CK ICE. RELEASE ALL THE FILES!

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Follow my work: Substack: democracy4sale.substack.com / Website: democracy4sale.com

Robert Cain, author of Democracy for Sale: How Corporate Greed Is Corrupting Democracy and Endangering the Planet. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and booksellers everywhere.