
On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. Calling them “illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” Trump framed the decision as a return to what he described as a “merit-based society.”
In an order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” Trump accused former President Joe Biden of fostering discrimination across “virtually all aspects of the federal government” through the promotion of diversity initiatives.
The implications of this order are already being felt. According to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management, all federal employees working in DEI roles are to be placed on paid administrative leave by Wednesday evening at 5pm. Departments and agencies must also prepare plans to permanently shutter DEI offices, remove related websites and social media, and dismiss employees by January 31.
“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit-based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Tuesday night, adding, “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions and creeds. Promises made, promises kept.”
The timing of the order on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights advocates, many of whom see it as a direct affront to the legacy of Dr. King and decades of work toward racial equality. Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, addressed a crowd at the Metropolitan AME Church, a historic Black church just blocks from the White House, to decry the move.
“Why do we have DEI?” Sharpton asked. “We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutional bigotry practiced in academia and in these corporations.”
On Tuesday, Trump signed another order targeting diverse hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The administration claims these initiatives penalize “hard-working Americans who want to serve in the FAA but are unable to do so, as they lack a requisite disability or skin color.”
These early actions are a continuation of Trump’s previous efforts to dismantle DEI policies. In 2020, he signed an executive order banning DEI training in federal agencies. President Joe Biden had swiftly reversed that order during his first days in office, emphasizing the need for racial equity in government operations.
For many, this renewed focus on dismantling DEI represents not just a policy shift, but a deeper ideological battle over the role of race and equity in America’s institutions. By eliminating these programs, Trump has signaled a sharp pivot away from the incremental progress toward inclusivity achieved over the past decades.