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President Donald Trump quickly and significant Actions against diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI) Since his return to the White House in January 2025. During his first day in power, on January 20, Trump signed a decree entitled “to put an end to radical and useless and preferences programs”. This directed order All Federal DEI staff will be put on paid leave and ultimately dismissed.
Trump described Dei programs like “dangerous, degrading and immoral“Saying that they are intrinsically discriminatory. He swore to” create a blind company with color and based on merit “. The decree specifically targeted the practices associated with Dei, position them as contrary to American law.
Return the DEI initiatives and start MEI programs
President Trump believes in a new approach to hiring and work issues. This emerging movement pleads for “merit, excellence and intelligence (MEI)”, which emphasizes the selection of candidates based solely on their qualifications, their capacities and their intelligence.
Supporters argue that Mei offers a more equitable and effective method to create high -performance teams, moving away from demographic considerations to focus exclusively on individual merit.
Mei serves as a framework for making job decisions at the workplace. The objective is to choose employment candidates based mainly on their achievements, skills and contributions as opposed to other factors such as identity or demographic characteristics. Mei highlights the continuation of the highest performance standards in the occupation of a person. A value is placed on tangible features such as problem solving skills, inherent talents and a high level of intelligence.
A certain number of companies have recently returned their Dei programs in favor of Mei’s initiatives, including Meta, McDonald’s,, WalmartFord, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Tractor Supply Company, Amazon and Boeing.
These companies have announced changes or have taken measures to eliminate or crop their efforts, often in response to conservative criticism and a changing legal landscape.
President Trump has taken a strong position against Dei’s programs, issuing decrees to dismantle Federal Dei initiatives, claiming that they promote a “identity based loot system” which, according to him, decreases the foundations founded on merit.
He ordered the federal agencies to end these programs, placed Dei’s staff on administrative leave and encouraged a turn to what he and his administration consider a moving and merit -based approach in the public and private sectors , who aligned himself with the philosophy of Mei who acquires traction among certain business leaders.
Many companies still have programs
A number of large companies continue to support DEI policies despite certain trends towards return reduction. JPMorgan CEO, Jamie Dimon, maintains the efforts of diversity, equity and inclusion of his bank, despite the challenges of the shareholders of conservative activists and the recent repression of the Trump administration against the Dei initiatives.
Costco aggressively defended its Dei programs. The Reverend de MSNBC, Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, led a special event to Costco Wholesale in Union, New Jersey to support the company’s commitment to the workplace. The event was nicknamed a “Buy-Cott for Deiยป.
Apple urged shareholders to reject the proposals to restrict these initiatives. Delta Airlines was publicly committed to Dei, stressing its importance for their commercial operations. The CEO of Cisco has articulated the commercial value of diversity, defending their initiatives. Microsoft continues to publish Dei reports, showing an in progress commitment. American Airlines and Goldman Sachs are also supported by their dei policies.
JPMorgan Chase has adjusted his approach but remains attached to Dei, aligning him with commercial success. Disney and NBC Universal continue to support Dei. Other companies such as Kroger, Ulta, Macy’s, Old Navy, Nordstrom and TJ Maxx have been listed as retaining their commitment to Dei.
How will it go
The evolution of the Mei against Dei debate will take place through legal, cultural, economic and political factors. It is likely that the degradation of Dei will polarize an important sector of the workplace. Some companies will double dei, arguing that it is essential for social justice, to adopt the Mei, pleading for a career system based on more objective merit.
Large companies may accept the integration of a combination of both parties. Under the administration of Trump and the actions he has undertaken so far, it is reasonable to conclude that there will be pressure on businesses to reward the MEI to highlight individual achievements. Hiring and promotions will tilt skills, talents, relevant experience and other factors instead of filling quotas.