How a Trump Knockout Punch Could Take Down the Federal DEI Behemoth

A major clamor resonates from the offices in Washington, DC, and Mar-a-Lago, Florida, as political strategists, policy experts, and opposition players prepare for the onset of a second Donald Trump administration.

I have had discussions with numerous individuals within the president-elect’s circle who are strategizing on staffing Cabinet positions and establishing a new tone for the administration’s inaugural day. Much of our conversation has revolved around the topic of DEI, which stands for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Although those in Trump’s inner circle are unified in their desire to eliminate DEI concepts in principle, they are still determining a concrete strategy for achieving this goal.

Here’s a roadmap for dismantling DEI — and winning the battle for public sentiment.

DEI initiatives have taken root within the federal government due to the actions of two past presidents: Barack Obama, whose Executive Order 13583 laid the foundation for numerous national “diversity” efforts; and Joe Biden, whose Executive Orders 13985 and 14035 solidified DEI ideals into every federal department while directing billions of dollars to promote this ideology across American society.

In light of this background, the Cabinet officials need to collaborate with Trump to formally revoke those executive orders.

In their absence, he should issue an order that forwards the principle of colorblind equality, asserting that the government shall treat every individual equally based on merit, rather than unequally based on their heritage.

The second challenge is more complex. Issuing an executive order is one thing; translating it into reality within the vast federal bureaucracy is another.

To tackle this issue, Trump’s Cabinet should promptly dismantle all DEI initiatives and terminate the employment of all policy officials responsible for those initiatives — effective immediately.

The advantage of taking decisive action on the first day cannot be overstated, as the public is generally more amenable to granting the new administration some leeway at that time.

Every president holds the right to mold his administration according to his beliefs, and DEI principles run counter to those upheld by Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the Cabinet collectively.

My personal experience in implementing such a policy comes from my time as a trustee at New College of Florida, where we became the first institution in America to eliminate the DEI department.

As anticipated, this move sparked intense headlines and ignited a vigorous public discussion. However, we managed to shorten that debate by acting decisively and implementing our policy without delay.

We issued the policy, dissolved the department, and terminated the director — all in one decisive action.

Cabinet officials in the forthcoming Trump administration should follow a similar path. They have critical responsibilities to fulfill, and the federal DEI bureaucracy, if not swiftly dismantled, will hinder their ability to operate efficiently.

Cabinet secretaries should instruct their aides to compile a comprehensive list of all DEI programs, departments, and policies, and if the president issues an order similar to what I suggested, these should be terminated within hours of the decision.

The third step is to dominate the conversation in the media. Here again, the approach taken at New College of Florida is illustrative.

Progressive media organizations attempted to portray our abolition of DEI in a negative light, but we outmaneuvered them through our speed and the introduction of a new narrative.

Acting swiftly ensured that articles about our policy were part of a single news cycle. At the same time, we paired our elimination of DEI with a new policy that promoted the ideal of colorblind equality.

This provided a significant narrative advantage, as it enabled the public to compare two distinct approaches. Public opinion data indicate that Americans favor a colorblind society over a race-conscious one by a nearly 70-to-20 margin.

By emphasizing the idea of colorblind equality, Cabinet officials will anchor their argument against DEI in popular sentiment, thus marginalizing their opponents.

Lastly, Cabinet members should leverage the inevitable whirlwind of attention that will surround the new administration’s various initiatives and personalities.

The effort to abolish DEI, although vital, will likely appear as a secondary headline, and a clean resolution means these diversity programs need not be revisited.

The rationale behind this strategy is straightforward: America does not require a permanent DEI bureaucracy but rather an effective administration that treats its citizens equitably, without regard to race.

This principle is widely accepted, morally sound, and, with this administration, achievable as public policy for the first time in decades.

It is my enduring hope that Trump can dismantle the DEI bureaucracy — for good.

While such a vision may seem ambitious, combined with Congressional legislation, this administration can convince the American populace to never return to discrimination masked as “equity.”

So, brace for the initial push. The campaign to abolish DEI is here.

Adapted from the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal.