Trump’s unsuccessful war against DEI

[cartoon id="304813"] For people who believe only straight, heterosexual white men should be in charge, these are interesting times. Currently, the most powerful and influential social conservative in the world resides once again in the White House and seems as determined as a bulldog to expunge supposedly “amoral” and “unfair” diversity policies from American society. In 2023, the Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action policies in university admissions. A growing list of American companies, from Ford to Goldman Sachs, have sharply relented from their commitment to previous corporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to wage war upon and dismantle DEI rules that have “supposedly lowered standards” and “limited economic productivity” in politics, trade, and education. Promoting diversity has been a recent priority that emerged after the eruption of anti-racist activism that Black Lives Matter and George Floyd’s murder ignited in 2020. But DEI’s values have always been a tense fit within capitalism’s social Darwinist spirit, where humanitarian intentions are far less important than making money and satisfying shareholders. Now that the political climate has dramatically changed, such efforts are being aggressively dismissed. After taking office in 2025, Trump targeted DEI initiatives and transgender-athlete participation in sports and is working to undermine safeguards in place long before DEI or woke became part of the vernacular. It'd shouldn't have been much of a shock, since the plans were outlined before the election in Project 2025. Last April, Trump signed an executive order to revoke the theory of disparate impact, an approach that allows policies to be assessed not just on whether their intent is to discriminate but also on whether their effect is discriminatory. Disparate impact has been a crucial weapon for civil rights enforcement since the mid-1960s. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is also being increasingly dismantled and has been redefined around right-wing causes, such as nonsensical, disproven claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election. And the administration is arrogantly attempting to erode post–Civil War constitutional amendments. Andrea Lucas, the irascible head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, posted the following on X to review complaints: “Are you a White male who’s experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws.” Trump isn't the first to unleash attacks on diversity programs. During the 1980s, the Reagan administration attempted to abolish the federal government’s affirmative action program and slashed funding for the agency that ratified equal opportunity employment law. But his efforts were quickly stalled by fierce opposition from some Republicans, while big business provided ample support for diversity policies. Today, the relentless forces of white male supremacy have a more ruthless right-wing media on their side. Trump and other reactionary populists have made their intentions clear to resist compromising their culturally exclusionary agendas compared to their more fair-minded conservative forebears. However, with various facets of multiculturalism considerably more deeply etched into American and global society, nullifying diversity policies will be far more arduous to accomplish than Trump has arrogantly been trying to do with his executive orders. Although not given much mainstream media attention, opposition is successfully sustaining. Numerous corporations have found ways to remain inclusive. From the outset, in 2025, Apple shareholders voted against ending the company’s diversity program. Other companies have simply rebranded their DEI initiatives, despite considerable consternation from certain right-wing outfits. CEOs, corporations, and stakeholders are not stupid. If diversity policies increase profits, then even the most racially motivated anti-DEI campaign is unlikely to succeed. It also doesn't help these regressive policies seem devoid of clarity. Are supporters advocating for a society where straight white men dominate? Do they accept the reality of a diverse society, as long as diversity doesn’t influence it? Even the bigoted Trump occasionally acknowledges American diversity’s presence and importance. Last year, during his inauguration speech, he elatedly recited his “increase of support from . . . young and old, men and women, Black Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and other traditionally democratic groups . . .” Not surprisingly, all of these groups returned to the Democratic Party in November 2025. Given the economy’s current state, renewed outrage concerning the Epstein files, and the increasing infighting on the political right, many conservative factions are probably feeling politically anxious at the moment. Things are in the early stages, but people’s emotions and wallets are in high gear and appear to be poised for rapid change. Such political restlessness more likely than not does not bode well for Republicans. - Copyright 2026 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.