Impact of Trump's Executive Orders on Diversity Initiatives

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent executive orders have drastically reversed previous policies surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and affirmative action programs. These orders annul funding directed towards minority-owned businesses and eliminate race and gender-based programs in federal contracting. The sweeping nature of these changes has caught even longtime critics off guard, suggesting that the government's focus will shift back to a merit-based system. This decision is compounded by a trend among major corporations, like Walmart and McDonald's, to reevaluate and often dismantle their own DEI initiatives in response to legal and cultural pressures.