Just a day after his return to the White House, President Donald Trump is making good on promises to radically remake the federal bureaucracy and end any efforts to create a more diverse or equitable workforce.

The phrase "affirmative action" and much of the executive order Trump is repealing, itself built on one signed by Johnson's predecessor John F. Kennedy in March 1961, which asked government contractors to "take affirmative action" to insure employees and applicants were treated "without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin."

Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11246, promoting affirmative action in federal contracting, was among the number of DEI policies targeted by the president.

The new president just unwound a landmark anti-discrimination measure implemented amid the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Learn about the history of Executive Order 11246 following President Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI programs and remove DEI employees within a week.

Among the first executive actions signed by President Donald Trump during his first day in office was ending “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity and inclusion programs inside federal agencies. In a phone call Monday morning ahead of Trump’s swearing-in,

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Morry Gash / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MORRY GASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has instructed all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave “immediately” and eventually be laid off. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

During his oath, Trump did not place his hand atop the Bible, a moment that quickly took over on social media as people watching at home took notice. #BREAKING: Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/VywxkH9E4D

President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on federal DEI efforts Tuesday, dismantling DEI offices and rolling back decades-old protections put in place during the Civil Rights Movement.

The memo, sent to employees across multiple departments, was signed by various members of Trump's cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department and Acting Attorney General James McHenry at the Justice Department.

President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to end affirmative action in federal contracting and is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and even