Trump Administration Urges European Companies to Reconsider Diversity Initiatives

The Trump governance is ramping up its efforts to challenge diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives beyond American shores. Recently, it urged companies in countries like France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium to reconsider their DEI policies.

As reported by The New York Times, the U.S. state department sent a letter on March 28 to various European firms. This interaction stated that President Trump’s executive order prohibiting DEI practices for federal contractors also extends to any business engaging with the U.S., no matter where they are based.Companies were given just five days to confirm their compliance or face potential legal repercussions.

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In a chat with French news outlet BFMTV, Aurore bergé, France’s Minister for Gender Equality, firmly stated that French businesses have no intention of altering their policies and deemed compliance with Trump’s demands as “out of the question.” Similarly, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon expressed his views on RTL-TVi by saying that “we don’t need lessons from America’s boss.” Politico noted that France’s trade ministry has called this interference in local business affairs “unacceptable.”

The push against DEI programs within the U.S. has yielded varied outcomes. For instance, shareholders at both Apple and Costco recently rejected proposals aimed at challenging their respective DEI strategies. Though, several major corporations like Amazon and Meta have either scaled back or completely eliminated their own initiatives.