As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence, a staggering 75% of Americans believe our Founders would be disappointed in our nation today and just 40% still believe the American Dream is achievable.
It’s not just the economy, immigration or the Iran War that’s dampened our national spirit. Donald Trump’s war on diversity and DEI has played an integral part. The United States is the world’s most diverse culture, and Trump’s crusade to crush diversity has put the majority of the United States population in his crosshairs.
Trudy Baker
As an advocate for diversity and inclusion in higher education for more than four decades, I’ve witnessed how diversity enriches learning environments by including the perspectives and talent of historically marginalized, silenced communities. As revered AI pioneer Marvin Minsky explained, “If you understand something only one way, then you don’t really understand it at all.”
It’s time to revisit the promises Trump made in his second inaugural address that “ending the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies” would restore merit as the cornerstone of government. We must recognize these exclusionary ideas as just another batch of convenient MAGA lies.
“Why didn’t eradicating DEI fix our nation’s problems? Because diversity and inclusion didn’t cause them.”
During his reelection campaign, Trump blamed DEI for virtually all our nation’s problems — from inflation, wildfires and plane crashes, to wide-scale discrimination against white men. Yet, despite ending DEI, most Americans see our nation’s problems as having intensified. Why didn’t eradicating DEI fix our nation’s problems? Because diversity and inclusion didn’t cause them.
On top of that, Trump has installed the least diverse U.S. government this century. According to data from the Brookings Institution that tracked Trump’s second-term cabinet appointees, in the first 300 days of his administration, “216 individuals were confirmed — 91% of whom are white, and “the total percentage of women confirmed was 16%, the lowest rate among the past four administrations, including President Trump’s first term (23%).”
Yet, if based on merit, most of Trump’s appointees wouldn’t get a second interview.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. lacks any public health or medical credentials.
Secretary of War Hegseth is busy blocking the promotions of Black and female officers.
Secretary of Education and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon’s only experience in education was once having “aspired to be a teacher.” She’s now in charge of dismantling an educational system she knows nothing about.
“If based on merit, most of Trump’s appointees wouldn’t get a second interview.”
Highly experienced Iran negotiators with additional expertise in nuclear weapons have been replaced by Trump’s son-in-law and Steve Witkoff. That may explain why we seem to be walking away from the Strait of Hormuz with so little.
When it came to programs and institutions Trump deemed DEI-affiliated, they were accused of not just compromising merit, but also of being channels for indoctrinating improper woke ideologies and divisive narratives. Trump has censored those improper ideologies like those he claimed The National Museums of African American History and Culture and Women’s History advanced. Trump also has banned the use of hundreds of words within any government or government-related organization — such as, “women,” “equality,” “Native Americans” and “disability.” Most recently, HHS delayed critical health funding while a new AI tool conducted a final scan to flag for any suspicious words like ‘culture’ and ‘gender.’
Sweeping generalizations about the dangers of DEI were based primarily on anecdotal evidence, sloppy research and, in Trump’s case, lies. The gold standard and most widely quoted anti-DEI research, “Diversity University: DEI Bloat in the Academy,” conducted by the arch-conservative Heritage Foundation, is full of problems. In contrast, there is extensive research supporting the benefits of DEI. Further, most students recognize its value, and most Americans still think DEI programs improve the workplace.
Discrimination in all forms must be taken seriously. However, manufactured outrage at DEI programs creating “white male discrimination” is an affront to the earnest and principled work these programs aim to address.
We must demand the same scrutiny of Trump hires that the president has demanded of DEI hires. We must reclaim the narrative on diversity: It is not a weakness to be eradicated, but it is among our most valuable national resources.
Trudy Bayer is a longstanding advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. She holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Pittsburgh and graduate degrees in philosophy from the University of Louvain, Belgium. For more information visit trudybayer.com.
Related:
In defense of DEI: 10 benefits of DEI in higher education | Opinion by Susan Shaw
Pete Hegseth’s leadership falls flat | Analysis by Tyler Hummel
Hypocrisy | Opinion by Mark Wingfield