Biden’s White House is now the most diverse in U.S. history

From the moment Joe Biden was elected as the 46th President of the United States, he made sure to let the American public know that the makeup of his administration would bring diversity at the executive level of the U.S. government to all new heights.

Biden’s plans to diversify his team wouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that was paying attention while the former Vice President was on the presidential campaign trail. 

Diversity and change were big themes in Biden’s race to earn the Democratic presidential nomination, and he made a lot of big promises about what he would do if nominated to face off against Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. 

During one of Biden’s late debate performances against progressive opponent Bernie Sanders, Biden said that if he was nominated he would choose a female running mate, a promise that he kept, picking one-time presidential rival Kamala Harris for his ticket. 

Biden also promised he would choose a cabinet that was reflective of the demographics of the country and nominate a black woman to serve on the Supreme Court if a vacancy opened according to a Politico report from 2020, and they were promises Biden kept.

“If I’m elected president, my Cabinet, my administration will look like the country, and I commit that I will, in fact, appoint a, pick a woman to be vice president,” Biden explained at the March 2020 CNN-Univision debate in Washington, DC.

“There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president.” Biden continued. 

Upon taking office, Biden had assembled the most racially diverse cabinet in American history and an independent analysis from CNN reported that 50% of his nominees were people of color. But Biden has found a way to outdo his administration's diversity gains. 

On June 30th, a government report revealed that Biden’s White House now employed the most diverse staff in U.S. history, meaning the president had stayed true to his promises during the campaign to ensure a diverse administration reflecting the country’s makeup. 

NBC News noted the report showed the White House staff was predominantly female, with women making up 59% of staff, a number the new organization pointed out surpassed the national share of women in the U.S. population which sits at 50.5%.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients explained to NBC News in a statement that the president’s “directive to us is crystal clear: Make sure the Biden-Harris Administration reflects America,” and it's a task Biden has exceeded during his two years in office. 

Zients also said Biden’s administration has “made huge strides” in order to accomplish the directive set out by the president and told NBC News that the White House would “continue to build on this progress.”

The latest data from the Biden administration shows that there has been an increase in staffers who identify as diverse with 49% of staff being from a diverse background which was up from the 44% reported last year according to the administration's analysis. 

One area in which Biden has seen a decline in diversity was among his most senior staff and in particular those who were women. Only 48% of senior staff members are women, a number down from last year's 56%. 

Racial diversity is also slightly down among Biden’s senior staff with only 34% of staff identifying as racially or ethnically diverse compared to 38% of staff just one year ago. 

While some may argue that Biden’s decision to staff his administration with a group of individuals who represent the ethnic and racial makeup of the country was a political one, it still doesn’t take away from the fact the president has done something historic. 

The makeup of the United States is becoming ever more diverse and it is important the governments that manage the country are also made up of people from every walk of life. A diversity of experiences and viewpoints are essential for a functional democracy.