White Man Handles Job Rejection by Getting the Trump Admin to Sue His Company

Getting a job rejection is a painful undertaking, and it’s common to let your mind wander to thinking about what you could have done differently, whether you should try again, or—in the bleakest of scenarios—whether you were qualified at all. Unless you’re a white man (derogatory), that is, and instead of thinking through any of the above, you take it to the Trump administration to throw an all-out bitch fit.

On Tuesday, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued the New York Times for allegedly promoting a woman over her white male counterpart for the role of deputy real estate editor in 2025, after he reportedly brought the complaint to EEOC’s New York office in July. Love a man who can handle rejection! 

The lawsuit, which spans 17 pages, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and accuses the outlet of having “unlawful employment practices on the basis of race and/or sex,” arguing that the NYT’s DEI policies—such as a 2021 “call to action,” which promised to increase the number of Black and Latino employees—jeopardized his chances.

“A decrease in the percentage of White male employees (whether new hires, existing employees or those in leadership, as appropriate) was a necessary consequence for the N.Y.T. to achieve these results,” the lawsuit reads.

*looks directly at camera*

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— Saeed Jones (@theferocity.bsky.social) May 5, 2026 at 8:56 PM

 

According to the court file, the man did get an interview for the job, but never made it to the final round. The people who did, however, included “a white woman, a Black man, an Asian female and a multiracial female”—and he asserts that he’s more qualified than the woman who eventually secured the position. Again… love a man who can handle rejection.

“The EEOC under my leadership will not pull punches in ensuring evenhanded, colorblind enforcement of Title VII to protect America’s workers, including white males,” the commission’s chair, Andrea Lucas, said in a statement following the lawsuit. “No one is above the law—including ‘elite’ institutions.” Hm. Speak for yourself…

“The New York Times categorically rejects the politically motivated allegations brought by the Trump administration” an outlet spokeswoman, Danielle Rhoades Ha, said on Tuesday. “Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world.” 

Ha added that the EEOC’s lawsuit “deviate[s] from standard practices in highly unusual ways,” and targets one “single personnel decision” in a newsroom where there are more than 100 deputy positions. “The EEOC’s filing makes sweeping claims that ignore the facts to fit a predetermined narrative.” 

This lawsuit is just the latest of the Trump’s wars on DEI, and specifically the EEOC’s crusade to fight so-called “reverse racism,” or the notion that white people are unfairly discriminated against. In December, Lucas called on white men who have “experienced any discrimination at work” to contact the agency; a few months later, the EEOC announced it was investigating Nike for racial discrimination against white employees; and then, in April, the commission sued Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast for hosting a women’s networking event, because a white man thought it unfairly discriminated against him. 

But, granted, none of this is what the commission was originally built for. It was established in 1964 through the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and as a watchdog to track discrimination on the subject of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Historically, it’s addressed racial injustices with an especial emphasis on those faced by Black Americans. But under the Trump administration… it’s just another tool to pursue an anti-DEI agenda.