DEI programs are called 1 ‘excessive’ as large companies stop doing them

Trump’s second administration has been marked by retrogression diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI). for all American companies. It’s a welcome change, according to XX-XY Athletics CEO Jennifer Sey, who calls such programs and recruiting practices “excessive.”

“Too much focus on DEI, whether it’s recruiting practices or social marketing, can actually have a negative impact [a] the company’s performance,” Sey told Fox News Digital.

“It’s not so fashionable anymore… [Companies] they’re responding to both Trump and the administration and their push and executive orders, but they’re also responding to the public and where there’s popular opinion, and people are rejecting these DEI plans,” he continued.

The study of gravity reported in November that “the word ‘DEI’ has dropped 98% across all Fortune 100 social media channels.” The report analyzed more than 1,000 business documents from January 2023 to May 2025.

NIKE’S DIFFERENTIAL PLANS UNDER EEOC’S STACKS OF DISTRIBUTION OF WHITE WORKERS

“The top teams are happy to leave these programs. They are a distraction to the business,” Sey added. “It’s all diversity training that people have to go through. It’s an interview process that focuses on anything other than direct fit. It’s a distraction to the business. And at the end of the day, top teams and CEOs have to make money for the company … That’s their fiduciary responsibility.”

“When they have employees training all day about diversity, they don’t focus on doing it [a] the main product and the marketing of that product. So, I think [companies are] in fact I am free to emphasize all this and leave it at that,” he added.

WENDY’S IS CLOSING HUNDREDS OF RESTAURANT LOCATIONS AS THE COMPANY FOCUSES ON REALITY TO IMPROVE SALES. excessive

The start of Trump’s second administration marked the end of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at companies across America — a hiring practice the CEO called “excessive.” (Getty Stock Images / Getty Images)

When he took office again, President Donald Trump signed it high order 14173titled “Eliminating Unlawful Discrimination and Restoring Opportunity Based on Respect” – which ordered the heads of all departments and agencies to “combat the likes, rules, policies, programs, and activities of the illegal private sector DEI.”

In accordance with The study of gravity40 companies “made public DEI changes” after Trump’s second inauguration, too Conference Board and found in America’s largest firms, the use of the “DEI” abbreviation decreased by 68% in 2025 compared to the 2024 filing.

It was also reported that “33% [of companies] stop using the word equity altogether,” while “53% of S&P 100 companies” adjusted how DEI efforts were channeled into completing the 2025 annual report compared to 2024.

That didn’t necessarily mean, according to the report, that they were abandoning DEI entirely, but rather “limiting or restructuring public disclosures about their diversity programs.”

SUPER BOWL ADS ACROSS NATION AS BUDWEISER, PEPSI AIM TO WIN AMERICAN CONSUMERS

President Donald Trump addresses the meeting. (Photos by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The retired bodybuilder went on to cite Bud Light’s failure to use transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in a 2023 ad campaign as an example, citing the company’s attempt to use “awakening as a marketing strategy.”

“It’s very backwards,” Sey said.

The company has done some traditional, humorous ads in recent years designed to appeal to men, such as its Super Bowl ad this year featuring Peyton Manning, Post Malone and Shane Gillis.

Sey added, “If you want to be woken up and that’s who you’re persuading, that’s fine. Go after it if you think that will satisfy your business goals… If you’re going after a very conservative customer and you show that through your marketing and that’s part of the world – you can build a successful business on that. But if we’re talking about it. big brands like Target and Bud Light, I think they have a responsibility to rise to the highest standard and focus on the product and the values ​​that unite it… It shouldn’t just be a victim of cultural whims all the time,” he continued.

AIM TO CUT 500 JOBS, INVEST MORE IN STORE STAFF

Target worker pulls red shopping carts at a store in New Mexico. (iStock / Stock)

“[People] they want to be optimistic, they want unifying, optimistic values ​​that are reflected in the companies they buy from,” added the sports brand builder.

It is not complicated, he said, that businesses focus on finding the best employees to “deliver the best results.”

Target and Anheuser-Busch did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM