Trump is attacking DEI in government and beyond. What will be the impact?

You May Be Interested In:Apple iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Air to launch soon: Check prices in India, Dubai, specs, camera comparison and more


As President Donald Trump wields his executive powers over the federal bureaucracy and private entities that do business with the government, one target in particular has been front and center: programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI.

During his first two weeks in office, Mr. Trump has issued several executive orders to stamp out DEI – which he and his allies describe as a harmful and pervasive ideology – both inside and outside the federal government. He put all federal DEI employees on administrative leave and ordered agencies to eliminate their positions. A separate executive order was issued to end diversity programs in the military. The administration also rescinded a 1965 executive order by President Lyndon Johnson mandating affirmative action for federal contracts, and put contractors on notice to terminate any “illegal” DEI programs.

In the aftermath of last week’s fatal midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter in Washington, Mr. Trump accused his Democratic predecessors of promoting diversity over merit in the United States’ air traffic control system. Before the crash, he had signed an executive order to end DEI programs in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Why We Wrote This

President Donald Trump and his supporters see diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as discriminatory and counterproductive. But his scorched-earth tactics to end DEI are generating criticism and sharpening political divisions.

By attacking diversity initiatives, President Trump is riding a cultural backlash – one that he has helped to foment. His supporters and even some moderate voters see DEI programs in public and private institutions as discriminatory and counterproductive, an outgrowth of Democratic identity politics that went too far in highlighting racial and other differences, to detrimental effect. At the same time, the president’s full-throttle use of executive powers to go after DEI, including inserting it into an aviation tragedy before any evidence emerged, is already generating criticism and sharpening political divisions.

The pushback against DEI – a catchall term for programs used to recruit and mentor a diverse workforce and student body, as well as tackle institutional bias and discrimination – precedes Mr. Trump’s return to office. A turning point was a 2023 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that barred race-conscious admissions of students at universities. Republican-run states such as Florida and Texas have passed laws to prohibit all DEI programs in public universities in their states.

Over the past year, some companies that had announced or ramped up diversity initiatives in 2020 during national racial justice protests have begun to end or scale back their programs. Conservative legal activists who sued over race-based university admissions have also filed legal challenges to diversity efforts at private companies and nonprofits over alleged discrimination.

Lev Radin/Sipa USA/AP/File

Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, signs a pledge to favor minority- and woman-owned businesses for contracts on public transportation projects, at the 14th Street subway station in New York, March 7, 2024.

Now such efforts have the backing of the Trump administration, which has explicitly tasked federal agencies with investigating large companies, philanthropic foundations, and wealthy universities for possible violations of federal law in their diversity programs. One of Mr. Trump’s executive orders called for each government agency to prepare up to nine civil investigation targets, along with “other strategies to encourage the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.”

share Paylaş facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

Taken captive as a baby, Israelis brace to learn the fate of Hamas’ youngest hostage
Taken captive as a baby, Israelis brace to learn the fate of Hamas’ youngest hostage
Israeli military orders evacuation of Rafah as its Gaza offensive intensifies
Israeli military orders evacuation of Rafah as its Gaza offensive intensifies
Five charged in Liam Payne's death, including friend and hotel workers
Five charged in Liam Payne’s death, including friend and hotel workers
Iran detains woman who stripped to her underwear in apparent protest at Tehran university
Iran detains woman who stripped to her underwear in apparent protest at Tehran university
A family of 4 died Christmas Day at their New Hampshire lake house after likely carbon monoxide leak
A family of 4 died Christmas Day at their New Hampshire lake house after likely carbon monoxide leak
Chuck Woolery, game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
Chuck Woolery, game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
PulsePoint News | © 2025 | News