For decades, the federal government has prioritized identity over merit. With one sweeping executive order, however, President Donald Trump just changed everything.
The numbers are staggering. Billions of taxpayer dollars spent on diversity consultants. Countless hours of federal employee time devoted to “equity training.” Thousands of bureaucratic positions created to manage programs that divide Americans by race and gender.
And we’re all paying for it. But not anymore.
In a bold move that signals a return to American principles of individual merit and equal opportunity, dramatic changes are sweeping through the federal government. Indeed, the era of preferential treatment is over.
Trump’s Executive Order
President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday rescinding a 1965 mandate that required companies doing contract work for the federal government to institute “affirmative action” programs. The order also eliminates all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions, marking a decisive shift back to merit-based hiring practices.
Remember when qualifications mattered more than quotas?
“These policies have resulted in disastrous consequences of illegal, pernicious discrimination that has prioritized how people were born instead of what they were capable of doing,” Trump declared in the executive order. He cited his duty as president to ensure civil rights laws are properly enforced.
Finally, someone is saying what most Americans have been thinking.
The changes are swift and far-reaching. By 5 p.m. Wednesday, all federal DEI staff must be placed on paid leave. Agency DEI web pages must be taken down. Related training programs must cease immediately.
Some departments didn’t wait for the deadline. Multiple federal agencies had already begun removing DEI-focused content from their websites by Tuesday afternoon.
Historic Shift
This is what real civil rights protection looks like.
The order specifically revokes Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. While that order was presented as promoting equal opportunity, critics have long argued that it created a system of quotas and preferences that undermined true merit-based advancement.
As National Review noted in 2013, the Johnson-era regulations were “at odds with current case law” and relied on “mere statistical disparities” to justify racial classifications that couldn’t withstand strict judicial scrutiny.
This legal framework was further challenged when the Supreme Court delivered its landmark ruling in 2023. The highest court in the land found that similar affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violated civil rights law and the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
The ripple effects of this decision extend far beyond Washington’s bureaucratic corridors.
Trump’s order extends beyond government agencies. The administration will review federal contracts and grants to ensure compliance with the new merit-based standards. Companies maintaining discriminatory DEI programs may face investigation and potential civil action.
Many corporations aren’t waiting for government scrutiny. Major companies from Walmart to Facebook have already scaled back their diversity initiatives, recognizing the shifting legal and cultural landscape.
“The federal government is charged with enforcing our civil rights laws,” the executive order states. “The purpose of this order is to ensure that it does so by ending illegal preferences and discrimination.”
Return To American Values
Make no mistake – this is a watershed moment.
Critics of the move, including several civil rights organizations, have voiced opposition. However, supporters argue this represents a return to core American principles of equal opportunity and individual achievement.
The new policy aligns with the vision of a colorblind society where advancement is based on merit rather than immutable characteristics. It marks a decisive break from programs that sorted Americans by race, gender, and other demographic categories.
By Thursday, federal agencies must compile comprehensive lists of DEI-related positions as they existed on Election Day. Within ten days, they must develop plans for a “reduction-in-force action” affecting those positions.
For millions of Americans who believe in merit-based advancement and equal opportunity under the law, this order represents more than a policy change. It signals a return to foundational American principles where individual achievement, not group identity, determines success.
This is what making America great again looks like: equal opportunity, merit-based advancement, and a government that treats all citizens equally under the law.
Thank you, President Trump!
Key Takeaways:
- Trump’s executive order immediately ends decades of identity-based hiring practices in federal government.
- All federal DEI staff placed on paid leave by Thursday, marking swift return to merit-based systems.
- Private sector companies already following suit, abandoning controversial DEI programs.
- Supreme Court precedent supports move toward truly equal opportunity under the law.
Sources: Daily Wire, The Associated Press, Axios
