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Which words has Donald Trump banned?

Apr 9, 2025

In 2025, Donald Trump returns to the White House with a mission to overturn progressive policies. He targets language in science, blacklisting over 120 terms like 'equity' and 'inclusion.' This raises eyebrows within the scientific community, questioning academic freedom's future. How do these changes threaten critical research areas such as environmental sciences and gender studies? Dive into the complexities of censorship and its repercussions on essential societal discussions!

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Quick takeaways

Donald Trump's return to the White House in 2025 has led to significant actions against progressive policies, particularly affecting scientific funding and research by blacklisting over 120 critical terms.

The scientific community is deeply concerned about the chilling effect of these banned terms on research related to social issues, as it threatens the integrity and scope of various fields.

Deep dives

Trump's Dismantling of Scientific Policies

Donald Trump has taken significant steps to dismantle progressive policies established by the Biden administration, particularly impacting scientific funding and research. Upon returning to the White House in 2025, he signed executive orders aimed at removing federal diversity and inclusion initiatives, leading to the flagging of over 120 terms by the US National Science Foundation. This list includes words related to social issues, such as 'equity' and 'inclusion', which now jeopardize research funding in critical areas like ecology and gender equality. These actions are part of a broader strategy to eliminate what Trump refers to as 'woke ideology' from government institutions.

The Censorship of Language in Science and Policy

5min

When Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, one of his priorities was to roll back progressive policies from the Biden administration. Among the main targets were scientific projects—many of which now risk losing funding if they include certain terms related to social or environmental issues.

According to The Washington Post, an internal document from the U.S. National Science Foundation flagged over 120 words, including ‘activism’, ‘equity’, ‘inclusion’, ‘women’, ‘stereotypes’, and ‘trauma’. These terms have effectively been blacklisted, threatening research in fields like ecology, gender studies, and racial equity.

Why is this happening? And how has the scientific community responded? Could this mark a turning point for academic freedom in the U.S.? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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