Donald Trump Targets Diversity Programs and Civil Rights Protections: Key Takeaways
President Donald Trump has moved fast in his first week back at the White House to dismantle programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with long-standing civil rights protections. The actions, which drew praise from conservative supporters and sharp condemnation from civil rights leaders, mark a sweeping shift in federal policy.
Here are five key takeaways from Trump’s recent executive orders and their implications.
President Trump signed an executive order directing all federal agencies to shut down DEI offices. Employees in these offices were placed on paid administrative leave, with terminations set for January 31. A memo from Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, further instructed employees to report any covert efforts to continue DEI initiatives, warning of “adverse consequences” for noncompliance.
The Federal Aviation Administration was also mandated to cease its use of DEI in the hiring process. Trump attacked the agency for emphasizing “discrimination over excellence.
The purge also includes government agencies; it has been ordered to create a list of private companies to interrogate their DEI policies. One such person who is likely to take the reins on this matter is Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s newly appointed head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who is known for taking on corporate diversity policies in court.
Trump attributes his increasing popularity among minority voters as a reason to end DEI programs. In his inaugural speech on January 20, he thanked the Black and Hispanic communities for their support, claiming record-breaking numbers.
Although Vice President Kamala Harris still won the majority of Black votes, Trump doubled his share among these voters, winning 16% in the 2024 election compared to 8% in 2020. Interestingly, 25% of Black men supported him.
A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that 45% of Americans, including 27% of Black Americans, support ending DEI programs, though 57% of Black Americans remain opposed to Trump’s policies.
Trump rescinded Executive Order 11246-a policy first signed in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson amid the Civil Rights Movement-the directive mandates affirmative action for government contractors to employ and train females and minorities as proportionately to available pools, promoting equal representation within companies.
The policy had been criticized for long by conservatives as a “quota system.” Past Republican administrations made attempts to roll it back were blocked by both Congress and the business community. Trump’s revocation of the order has been hailed by conservative activists as an end to quotas, but civil rights leaders have described it as a step backward on racial equality.
The Trump administration has also frozen litigation and revoked agreements intended to reform local police departments, an about-face from Biden-era policies.
Cities like Minneapolis, Louisville, and Memphis, which were the epicenters of national protests against police brutality, are now facing uncertainty regarding federally mandated reforms. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vowed to proceed with reforms regardless of federal support, stating, “We have the tools, the resolve, & the community’s backing to fulfill our promise to Minneapolis.”
Trump’s actions provoked sharp criticism from civil rights leaders, Democrats, and progressives. National Urban League president Marc Morial made a call for a “massive resistance movement” in the form of legal challenges, corporate engagement, and grassroots activism.
The DEI programs must be dismantled as they hinder social and economic development, warns state lawmaker Ashanti Martinez. “We must reject attempts to attack DEI and instead champion policies that expand access to the American Dream for every community,” Martinez said.
Trump’s policies come after the Supreme Court 2023 ruling that struck down race-based affirmative action in higher education, a ruling that emboldened conservative activists challenging diversity programs across the United States.
His supporters laud these initiatives as a step toward fairness and meritocracy. Critics, however, contend these moves threaten to erode decades of racial and social justice.
As the debate goes on, America’s future hangs in the balance for diversity and civil rights.
