Donald Trump has set his sights on dismantling the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) frameworks that have become entrenched in federal agencies and corporate culture. With plans to overhaul what critics deride as the “woke” agenda, Trump’s strategy reportedly involves a mix of executive orders, policy reforms, and legal maneuvers designed to dismantle the DEI infrastructure installed under the Biden administration. The move is already generating buzz among conservative policy experts, who anticipate an aggressive start to Trump’s presidency should he retake the Oval Office.
Policy insiders predict Trump will waste no time in rolling back DEI initiatives. According to Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, Trump’s team has already prepared a slate of executive orders targeting the Biden administration’s equity initiatives. Hild suggests that Trump’s plans include rescinding Biden’s Executive Order 13985, which mandated equity-focused reforms across federal agencies. On Day One, Trump is expected to issue a wave of executive orders aimed at erasing the Biden administration’s “whole-of-government equity agenda.”
One such order might reinstate Trump’s 2020 ban on DEI and critical race theory training for federal employees and contractors. Additionally, his administration is likely to push new directives, such as defining “male” and “female” based on biological terms—a sharp response to what conservatives describe as the Biden administration’s overreach under Title IX. These moves, coupled with broader executive actions, aim to undercut the systemic DEI policies Biden embedded within federal agencies, such as the February 2023 executive order requiring annual Equity Action Plans.
Conservative think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation, are also offering blueprints for Trump’s DEI rollback. Analysts like Mike Gonzalez and Armen Tooloee have called for restructuring or outright eliminating certain federal agencies they view as ground zero for DEI enforcement. One likely target is the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which uses liability tools to enforce racial and gender representation among federal contractors. Critics argue that the OFCCP’s enforcement mechanisms are overreaching and possibly unconstitutional.
Enter Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, which is poised to lead the charge. DOGE could consolidate or eliminate DEI-heavy agencies like the OFCCP by transferring their essential functions to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to Devon Westhill, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, this approach would streamline government functions while erasing DEI-driven inefficiencies. “If DOGE is serious, they can essentially shut that office down,” Westhill stated, signaling an aggressive strategy to target DEI at its bureaucratic core.
Trump’s bold promises to dismantle DEI signal a seismic shift in federal policy, one that could spark legal battles and cultural debates for years to come. While his supporters cheer the effort as a necessary correction to left-wing overreach, critics warn that it risks erasing hard-fought gains for equity and inclusion. What’s clear, however, is that Trump’s return to power would bring a sweeping and unapologetic reversal of the DEI agenda, reshaping the government’s approach to diversity and equity for the foreseeable future.
