Donald Trump’s executive order on Monday against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives includes a provision to investigate DEI “discrimination” at “institutions of higher education with endowments over $1 billion,” and the MAGA right is celebrating.
The provision would target a large section of universities in the country, including wealthy institutions in the Ivy League such as Harvard University. The news has right-wing personalities and pundits celebrating, including public education foe Christopher Rufo.
Rufo’s X post received several approving replies from conservatives, including from Elon Musk, and demonstrates the deep hatred among the right-wing for colleges and universities that seek to improve diversity.
It would appear that this executive order is the result of Rufo’s efforts. Rufo met with Trump shortly after the election in November, presenting him with a plan to withhold federal money from universities unless they end diversity measures. The conservative activist has sought to push Christian nationalism and right-wing ideology into a dominant place in American life, having given the right its talking points on “critical race theory” and tested out his anti-DEI efforts as a trustee at Florida’s New College.
Now, Trump’s executive order seems to be the first step in remaking all of American society to push racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ minority groups out of public life, not just in education but also in the workforce. It’s essentially a culture war purge that will play out in federal lawsuits.
The post MAGA Right Cheers One Major Detail Hidden in Trump’s DEI Order appeared first on New Republic.
