Published In
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-21-2026
Abstract
Purpose – This article critically analyses and critiques the operationalisation of the Trump administration’s anti- DEI policies on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the United States of America and beyond. It specifically examines the attempt to silence DEI scholarship and practice, assessing the broader implications for social justice and global progress towards equity. The article also positions these attacks as an existential threat to DEI scholarship, scholars and practitioners, with the potential to reverse progress made since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The article serves as a call to action, urging the continued and even increased use of DEI language and the rigorous promulgation of its underlying values. Design/methodology/approach – This viewpoint article offers a range of perspectives on the impact of the anti- DEI agenda of the Trump administration from DEI scholars who participated as panellists at a Divisions and Interest Groups Highlight session titled “Navigating the DEI Research Landscape: Critical Insights and Future Directions” at the 2025 Academy of Management Conference – Copenhagen. This critical approach draws from multiple sources to enrich and provide a more nuanced understanding of the impact of the Trump administration’s ongoing implementation of its anti-DEI policies. Findings – The Trump administration’s ongoing operationalisation of its anti-DEI agenda is having a strong and wide-ranging effect on DEI efforts worldwide. It is fostering a climate of fear, actively contributing to the widening of existing inequalities, causing the silencing of DEI scholarship and the migration of DEI scholars and practitioners to more enlightened countries outside of the United States. The practices of the Trump administration are having a wide-ranging effect, emboldening anti-DEI groups in many countries outside of the United States of America as well. This paper highlights the deliberate attack on DEI as an existential threat to the progress of humanity that undermines the principles embedded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also emphasises the undermining of the successes achieved by the American Civil Rights Movement, feminist movements across the globe and movements everywhere dedicated to furthering equity for diverse and underrepresented people.
Research limitations/implications – The article draws from primary and secondary sources (news articles, policy documents, existing research and discussions held with DEI scholars at a for-purpose Divisions and Interest Groups Highlight session titled “Navigating the DEI Research Landscape: Critical Insights and Future Directions” at the 2025 Academy of Management Conference – Copenhagen). The authors’ scholarship on DEI and the Trump administration’s operationalisation of anti-DEI policies might influence their perspectives and conclusions. While the paper critiques the enactment of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI agenda, it may benefit from engagement with counterarguments or alternative perspectives to offer a more balanced perspective.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
DOI
DOI
10.1108/EDI-09-2025-0604
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44638
Citation Details
Fitzsimmons, T., Martinez, L., Bishop, J., Rice, D., & Villesèche, F. (2026). Holding the line: the existential threat to DEI language and values. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1108/edi-09-2025-0604