Trump deems US Supreme Court affirmative action decision: “a great day for America”

Former US President Donald Trump on Thursday called the Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious student admissions programs at two universities “a great day for America.”

Trump, who is running in the Republican race to regain the White House in 2024, said the ruling will keep the United States competitive with the rest of the world.

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“This is a great day for America. 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,” Trump said in a statement.

“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!” he said.

The high court decision, in cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, was a sharp setback to affirmative action policies often used to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other underrepresented minority groups on campuses.

Trump’s tenure was marked by several controversies involving racial and ethnic bias, beginning from his 2015 presidential campaign launch when he described Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug smugglers.

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