‘Y’all really voted for the devil’: Trump is preparing to launch an attack against DEI on campuses

Aren’t Republicans furious at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and policies? How come Donald Trump wants to give “restitution” to people who he claims were “victims” of these DEI policies?

“I will direct the Department of Justice to pursue federal civil rights cases against schools that continue to engage in racial discrimination.” This isn’t just a scale back on DEI policies, but Trump intends to actively go after them. He adds, “And schools that engage in explicit, unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity will not only have their endowments taxed. But through budget reconciliation, I will advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment.” Trump claims that “a portion” of the funds will be “used as restitutions for victims of these illegal and unjust policies.”

Although Trump didn’t mention DEI policies, he vaguely referenced DEI by mentioning equity. As for who Donald Trump wants to give “restitution” to, it’s unclear. Online spectators conclude that Trump wants to give money back to white people. One of these tweets wrote, in rage, “Y’all really voted for the devil!”

Was Trump talking about white people?

Taxpayers often contribute their dollars to universities. Donald Trump and other Republicans have been actively demonizing DEI policies. In turn, many citizens have been turned against these programs. He may not be specific about who these “victims” are, but he deems DEI programs “unjust.” A better term would be “unnecessary expenditure.”

Republican scrutiny against DEI isn’t new. In Florida alone, Republican lawmakers have been passing bills that would ban DEI initiatives and programs on campuses. A resounding grudge Republicans have against DEI is that it promotes “indoctrination” of progressive values. Trump parrots the same thought in his statement: that promoting inclusivity is “anti-American insanity.” In relation to DEI initiatives, enrollment of Latino students has increased in higher education. Moreover, DEI has also paved the way for underrepresented minority lecturers in academia. The removal of DEI policies and offices across universities in the US may decrease the graduation rate of non-white students. While Republicans continue to demonize DEI efforts, they offer no helpful alternative in turn.