The College Fix

His administration will ‘end the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists,’ president says

President Donald Trump promised to end the Biden administration’s prioritization of “useless” diversity, equity, and inclusion hires and instead support a “merit-based” society in his inaugural address Monday.

The Republican president also said he will change federal government policy so that it recognizes only two sexes.

“This week, I will … end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” Trump said.

“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” he said.

🚨 JUST IN: Trump announces he is terminating diversity, equity and inclusion federal policies (DEI)

“We will forge a society that is color blind and merit based.” pic.twitter.com/YzF8AGEP2W

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 20, 2025

The White House website also published Trump’s priorities Monday afternoon, including an end to DEI hiring.

“He will freeze bureaucrat hiring except in essential areas to end the onslaught of useless and overpaid DEI activists buried into the federal workforce,” it states.

Additionally, the “President will establish male and female as biological reality and protect women from radical gender ideology,” according to the website.

Both issues are linked closely with higher education.

The Biden administration’s DEI policies and hiring practices tricked down into colleges and universities.

Within the past four years, the Democrat-led administration spent billions of tax dollars on DEI-focused grants to scientists and educators. For example, the University of Missouri at St. Louis received a $306,209 grant to provide “antiracist social-emotional” training to public school counselors, The College Fix reported.

A number of scientists pushed back on the ideologically-focused funding projects, with one describing it to The Fix as “pseudoscience, miseducation, and ideological indoctrination.”

Many believe the Trump administration will stop funding such projects and instead direct tax dollars to research and educational projects based on their merit.

Additionally, the president’s promise to recognize “biological reality” could bring about changes in women’s collegiate athletics, and males who identify as female may be barred from competitions, changing rooms, and other women only-spaces.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised to reform higher education.

These promises include “fir[ing] the radical left accreditors that have allowed our colleges to become dominated by Marxist maniacs and lunatics,” The Fix reported.

“The time has come to reclaim our once great educational institutions from the radical Left, and we will do that,” Trump said in a 2023 campaign video. “… We will then accept applications for new accreditors who will impose real standards on colleges once again and once and for all.”

The Republican leader also said he will “shut down” the U.S. Department of Education, a task other Republicans have proposed but failed to bring to fruition.

MORE: HBCU marching band scolded for accepting invite to Trump’s inauguration

IMAGE: Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies/X

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