On January 20th, Donald Trump signed an executive order ending all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hires nationally. Implying that DEI hires were not qualified enough to run government agencies. What exactly does that mean for the 41% of Americans who are not white?
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1965 in response to the Civil Rights Movement. That act was in place for 60 years, until Trump’s first day back in the White House.
Trump ended the DEI programs nationwide because he believed they promoted hiring unqualified individuals. What exactly does that imply? From a personal standpoint, it seems he is saying that minorities cannot do better work than white people. To put it plainly, that’s how it appears. This executive order was part of a slew of others aimed at shocking the nation into submission.
Shock and Awe
The term “Shock and Awe” was coined by Harlan Ullman. He is a United States defense strategist. With Ullman’s help, the United States planned the invasion of Iraq in 2003. By definition, the term is used militarily to describe a situation of rapid control by force. An example of shock and awe occurred in the early 70’s. This was during the military junta of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. Donald Trump is trying to shock the American system into compliance. He does this by flooding our Government with change only a week into his Presidency. However, tyranny will not prevail.
Federal judges will continue to block Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to undermine the United States’ governing system. This is because the executive orders he signs are unconstitutional or illegal. I am sure he knew his actions would be shot down. However, he is trying to test the waters. He wants to see how far he can get until he gets into trouble.
Closing Thoughts
I apologize for the amount of ranting in this post. It is critical that we continue discussing these issues. Once we do, he will have won against Democracy. We are the United States of America, and we will not conform to the tyranny of the Majority. Exercise your First Amendment rights, and let your voice be heard. We are the land of the free and home of the brave; do not forget that.
Resources
Goldberg, M. (2025, January 30). Trump’s DEI witch hunt reaches new low after plane crash. Intelligencer. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-dei-witch-hunt-reaches-new-low-after-plane-crash.html
The White House. (2025, January). Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing [Presidential action]. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/