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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs are facing audits.
The DEI movement became the focus of America's culture wars in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, which sparked a national conversation about race as well as riots that continued for months. Such programs became common throughout the American government, universities, and workplaces.
particle for direct object Pushback against DEI It's been years in the making, and several major companies have canceled their policies as early as 2024, including John Deere, Ford, Harley-Davidson and Walmart.
Ford, Lowe, Tractor Supply Co., John Deere, Harley-Davidson and Walmart are some of the big companies that backed out of their DEI commitments in 2024. (Getty Images/Reuters/Fox News)
On Monday, when the President Donald Trump Back in the White House for a second term, one of several executive orders he signed on his first day ended federal DEI programs.
A Fox News poll Earlier last month, it found that 45 percent of voters believe Trump's focus on ending DEI programs is “very” or “very” important. Another 18 percent of respondents said it was “somewhat” important to drop initiatives.
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So why is it that nearly half of Americans believe eliminating DEI is a priority and the vast majority have concerns about these programs? As with many battles in the culture wars, experts disagree about what caused it.
Some point to Trump as the main cause of the backlash against DEI, while others argue that the way the programs were forced on Americans led to the revolt.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during the House Republican Conference on November 13, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Naomi Wills, a Nextech executive and DEI advocate who specializes in race and gender issues, believes that the main reason for the recent backlash against DEI is that business leaders felt strongly that Trump was likely to win the presidency again. . Trump has been very vocal about wanting to roll back DEI initiatives, and those sentiments have only grown as his campaign has grown in power, he said.
“It's important to note that it's not just because President Trump opposes the DEI, presidents are allowed to have their opinions,” Wills said. told FOX Business. “He's a president with a documented history of rancor,” he said. If Trump had not become president, he would have made these announcements publicly.”
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Inclusive marketing author and strategist Lola Baccaré agrees, telling FOX Business, “We're seeing a whirlwind effect of a new administration's preferences, leading to weak, reactive, fear-based decisions by companies.”
US President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders on Monday at the White House in Washington, DC. (Jabin Batsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
He added: “I encourage people to think about the more sinister reasons for this administration's decision to support exclusion, which is the opposite of inclusion, and cancel people's jobs in an executive order on day one of a number of programs, even positions.” Without even looking at the reality of the effectiveness of those programs.”
However, Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist and author, said he sees the harmful effects of these programs.
“At their best, diversity programs should remind us that everyone deserves to be treated equally and with respect, no matter who they are,” he told FOX Business. Unfortunately, the trend over the last few years, in many American institutions, has been to turn DEI programs into political commissars, to go after people who hold different views, and ultimately, in many ways, to further divide the public. do the institution they are supposed to help.”
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Alpert said he's also seen it in therapy practice, where patients and therapists themselves internalize the rules of DEI, they get lost in this cultural minefield, instead of simply encouraging fair and equal treatment for everyone. He added that he has also seen patients fear falling foul of “changing DEI rules” and being “cancelled” – leading to heightened anxiety in patients.
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Jeremy Knauf, founder of Spartan Media, said he's seen two distinct reactions to DEI's program removal, and both are equally expected. The first reaction is, “Well, that sounds like a good idea because we shouldn't be making hiring decisions based on criteria like race, gender, or sexuality anyway,” and the other reaction is basically, “Anyone who disagrees . These policies are clearly a racist, sexist and homophobic monster.”
From a public relations perspective, he told FOX Business, that's precisely why these policies are now seen as dangerous and harmful, and why there's been such a push to eliminate them in recent years.
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“While there was a time for policies like this in our past, they've basically turned into aggressive corporations and individuals giving in on a wide range of political issues, and frankly, most people don't like the speech. and the constant attacks are tired, Knauf said.
He added: “As the famous saying goes, 'You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar,' and these activists have been killing everyone with vinegar for decades, so the result was completely predictable.” “I'm just surprised it took this long.”
Robbie Starbuck, an anti-awakening activist and filmmaker who has led a successful campaign to pressure companies to end DEI initiatives, says that the backlash against DEI comes from ordinary people and executives who actually experience the programs. did, aroused
“Over the last four years, they realized that the DEI bill was not a fair and equal commodity that they were being sold,” he said. “In fact, it was a thief in the night that stole fairness and equality from the workplace. The culture of fear of losing your job was the last thread that held DEI together.”
Starbuck says his move successfully scared companies into normalcy because they realized that normal people would punish them financially if they continued down the DEI path. But he told FOX Business he wants to be careful not to say DEI is “dead” just yet.
“It's backtracking, but far-left activists are quickly pushing it into institutions in hopes of reviving these programs while the public isn't paying attention,” he said. We will wait and watch them to make sure it doesn't happen again.”
Fox News' Rachel Wolff contributed to this report.