What happened to the white man who said, 'Skillful white men must be in charge?'

Imagine what it would have taken to fire a Trump official for making racist comments during the last Trump administration. It was directed by Darren Beatty. Beatty’s contract was terminated after he spoke to anti-immigration activist Peter Brimelo at the 2016 HL Mencken Club conference.

The HL Mencken Club calls itself “an organization of free-minded intellectuals and academics of the right”. It was launched in 2008 and is named after an American journalist who once described Jews as “pretty much…the most unpleasant race ever heard of” and described an educated black man as an “inferior race” who “will remain idle and unskilled until he lives in civilization. And even then, he will be fifty generations of superior white descent.”

Previous speakers at the conference include All-Rights figurehead Richard Spencer and the author John Derbyshire, He was fired from National Review in 2012 after writing an article for Tuckey’s magazine that said parents should warn their children about black people. The article included tips such as “If planning a date trip to a beach or amusement park, find out if it’s likely to be overrun with blacks” and “Avoid concentrations of blacks you don’t know personally.”

Lest you think Beatty is just one of many Trump officials who claimed he knew nothing about the fact that he agreed to speak to white supremacist groups. Beatty clarified his views a year ago, noting that white men should handle matters of necessity.

“If you want to get things done, skilled white men must be in charge. Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on pushing the feelings of women and minorities and demoralizing skilled white men.”

You can’t put a good racist in their full administration. He was not at all embarrassed after the shooting.

“In 2016, I attended the Mencken conference in question and gave a stand-alone, academic speech titled ‘The Intelligentsia and the Right’. I said nothing offensive and stand by my comments. It has been the honor of my life to serve in the Trump administration. I love President Trump, who is a fearless American hero, and continue to support him 100%. I have no further comment.”

Before joining the Trump administration, Beatty served as a political science professor at Duke University and publicly supported Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. Beatty says Trump’s tough immigration policies are the main reason he supports him. His Ph.D. The thesis was based on education Martin HeideggerGerman philosopher who was also a member of the Nazi Party. Two years after his dismissal, Trump appointed him to the Commission for the Preservation of American Heritage Abroad.

It was just announced that Beatty will be appointed to a top position in the State Department. White nationalist Steve Bannon is excited by the news.

“As important as his agency is to the building of ‘Foggy Bottom,’ POTUS screams his fare symbol: ‘We don’t give 2 f***x for convention.'” – Steve Bannon

Beatty led the right-wing news aggregator Revolver News for the past few years, often criticizing American foreign policy, including funding for Ukraine amid Russian aggression.

Since October 2025, Beatty has been serving as a senior bureau officer in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). This role puts him in charge of major US cultural diplomacy programs. Beatty was appointed by the Trump administration as acting president of the US Institute of Peace, while continuing his State Department role.

The appointment is part of a larger restructuring effort in which the administration has sought to restructure or dismantle independent agencies Beatty’s leadership at USIP has been described as controversial due to his history of inflammatory statements and his 2018 firings.

Recent 2026 reporting shows that BT is also involved in Brazil-related diplomacy. The Trump administration tapped him for a senior adviser role overseeing US policy toward Brazil. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro – currently imprisoned – requested court approval for BT to meet with him in March 2026.

Beatty’s return to power isn’t an anomaly — it’s a pattern. The Trump administration has never considered racist speech inappropriate. If anything, it has often been considered a certificate. Stephen Miller is the most obvious example: despite years of public criticism for leaked emails promoting white-nationalist literature and nativist conspiracy theories, he has not been removed. He rose to become one of the most influential policy architects in the White House. The same dynamic has been seen with other individuals whose comments have drawn widespread condemnation, yet whose careers have progressed rather than stagnated. Steve Bannon once remarked that being called a racist is a badge of honor.

BT’s trajectory reinforces what the past decade has already shown. This administration doesn’t remove people after racist statements are made public – it promotes them. It rewards behavior that would end careers elsewhere. And in doing so, it makes clear that these are not isolated errors or misunderstandings. They are part of the ruling culture, a feature rather than a flaw and a warning about the kind of country this leadership is trying to build.

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This post was Previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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