By attacking everything that has anything to do with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), what exactly is President Donald Trump trying to accomplish?All the reactionary, alarmist social media posts and videos are alarming and reactionary, but they aren’t giving us any real answers to this question.
They will get you up in arms about the United States Air Force removing a course video highlighting the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots from their educational materials. (Something that the Air Force has reinstated after an immense outcry online.)
Folks will look at which companies are adhering to the president’s three executive orders that target DEI initiatives and tell you where not to shop. (Something that those who have economic privilege can afford, but what about those who are struggling financially?)
But, again, what is the point of all this? Why is he doing it, and what is the president trying to accomplish? The answer is as simple, but you need a bit of historical context to fully understand.
When Trump was president the first time, he banned diversity training to “combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping.” Biden reversed that executive order but went a step further and had the most diverse administration in American history.
His cabinet looked like the Rainbow Coalition: It included the first Black defense secretary, the first Native American cabinet member and the first female treasury secretary. Everyone got a seat at the table in Biden’s America. Not so in Trump’s.
When the 47th president got into office, one of the first thing he did was undo what Biden undid. Except this time, he went even further by targeting DEI. Critics of Biden’s approach to diversity said that it resulted in government bloat. Others said that things like diversity trainings are manipulative and accuses anyone who does not see racism everywhere of being racist.
Soon the acronym “DEI” became a dog whistle and was blamed for the demise of Silicon Valley Bank and even Boeing’s aircraft safety problems. Put simply, Trump’s supporters have been attacking DEI for years.
That’s why he is attacking these programs. Conservatives wanted to do away with these initiatives but could not because Biden was in office. Now they have someone who will do their bidding. Trump has listened to his voters and is implementing their vision of America. That’s why immigrants are being hunted down by ICE agents. That’s why transgender people are being attacked in the military. And that’s why DEI initiatives have come under fire.
Remember the people who said they would not to vote for Harris because of the war in Gaza? Or what about the ones who could not stomach her prosecutorial record? In 2009, Obama famously said, “elections have consequences.” More than ever, we see now that he was right.