In his first week back in office, President Donald Trump swiftly dismantled all federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs through executive orders, aiming to reverse the policies established by his predecessor, Joe Biden. He mandated the closure of DEI offices and placed affected workers on paid leave while canceling existing and future DEI-focused government contracts. Trump's actions included an order to recognize only two genders and a memo to end DEI hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration, replacing them with merit-based hiring. The Department of Education also warned states to remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding, impacting DEI initiatives across both federal and private sectors. As a result, many major corporations and institutions, including Meta and McDonald's, have scaled back or canceled their DEI programs, following the administration's lead and citing financial savings and a return to merit-based systems.

President Trump, immediately after his inauguration, issued an executive order to eliminate all federal DEI programs, effectively undoing much of Biden's DEI initiatives, including recognizing only two genders.

The Office of Personnel Management was directed to close all DEI offices and put affected employees on paid leave, which led to the removal of all DEI-related media and the cancellation of pending DEI documents and plans.

Trump canceled DEI-related contracts, reportedly saving $420 million according to Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, while issuing further orders to end race and sex-based workplace and educational discrimination.

A memo directed the FAA to halt DEI hiring practices, emphasizing merit-based hiring and reviewing employee performance standards to ensure flight safety, while rescinding Biden's executive order on racial equity.

The dismantling of DEI policies extended to the private sector, with prominent companies such as Meta, McDonald's, and others reducing or eliminating their DEI programs, reflecting a broader trend influenced by the administration's actions.

The National Institutes of Health rescinded a Biden-era scientific integrity policy that integrated DEI into the research process, aiming to restore scientific standards free from DEI and gender ideology influences.

Multiple federal agencies canceled contracts with LinkedIn over its DEI policies, aligning with Trump's executive orders, while the administration criticized previous DEI-related spending as wasteful and misaligned with public interests.