Trump is attacking DEI. Big businesses believe it’s valuable

DEI backers, including most top US companies, believe a push for diversity has been good for their businesses.

President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed the Federal Aviation Administration’s “diversity push” in part for the plane collision that killed 67 people in Washington, DC. But DEI backers, including most top US companies, believe a push for diversity has been good for their businesses. Trump did not cite any evidence for how efforts to hire more minorities, people with disabilities and other groups less represented in American workforces led to the crash, saying “it just could have been” and that he had “common sense.” But Trump criticized the FAA’s effort to recruit people with disabilities during Joe Biden’s administration, even though the FAA’s Aviation Safety Workforce Plan for the 2020-2029 period, issued under Trump’s first administration, promoted and supported “the hiring of people with disabilities and targeted disabilities.” It’s not the first time opponents of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, or DEI, have said they can kill people. “DEI means people DIE,” Elon Musk said after the California wildfires, criticizing the Los Angeles Fire Department and city and state officials for their efforts to advance diversity in their workforces. The Trump administration has clamped down on DEI in the federal government, ordering government DEI employees to be placed on leave, ending the use of DEI in hiring and federal contracting, and other measures to end DEI practices. In the business world, DEI is typically a mix of recruiting practices, employee training and other measures to boost representation of people of different races, genders, classes, religions and other backgrounds. Rather than lower hiring standards, supporters say DEI broadens the pool of people employers would consider for a job, in theory finding even more qualified people for tasks than they would have found in the past. Companies that abandon efforts to promote diversity and inclusion risk missing out on the best talent, business leaders say.