Trump Targets DEI in Public and Private Sectors
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This show was recorded at 8.30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, January 26th. News moves quickly, so some of the stories may have changed by the time you hear this. It's Monday, January 27th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What A Day, the show that is preparing to remind every American that we'll see and we'll be looking at that very closely are not actual indications of policy decisions. And more and more people are saying that this all sucks.

On today's show, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard gear up for their highly anticipated Senate confirmation hearings. And the Trump administration breaks the law with late-night Inspector General firings. But let's get started.

But let's start with the economy and trade today. In a throwback to his first term, President Donald Trump fired up his social media account on Sunday to make a major policy decision via post. Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. would immediately slap a 25% tariff on all goods from Colombia and could raise it to 50% in the next week. He also announced financial sanctions on Colombia and a travel ban for government officials, among other penalties. Why is Trump doing all of this? It

because Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocked two U.S. military planes carrying migrants from landing in the country. Petro confirmed the move in a statement on Twitter. He said the United States can't treat Colombian migrants like criminals and that there needs to be a protocol to treat them with dignity before Colombia will receive them.

Later, Petro ordered his trade minister to slap a 25% retaliatory tariff on American imports to Colombia, too. It's a risky move on Petro's part because the U.S. is Colombia's largest trading partner. And it speaks to the high stakes countries like Colombia face when dealing with Trump, as well as Trump's willingness to inflict economic pain as fast as it takes him to send off a tweet. So I guess start stocking up on that Colombian coffee you like and roses?

You know, because we the people end up paying those tariffs. Good thing the price of groceries overall is going down. Oh, wait.

That's not actually happening. Vice President J.D. Vance said on CBS Sunday, we have to wait for that. Prices are going to come down, but it's going to take a little bit of time, right? I'm going to put a pin in that one, Vice President Vance. Trump's first week in office also featured executive orders aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion, DEI for short, from the federal government. He signed an executive order ending affirmative action for federal contracts.

rescinding another order issued by President Lyndon Johnson and directed that all federal DEI staff be put on paid leave and eventually fired. But what does that actually mean? DEI efforts at the federal level have included fighting for getting resources to rural communities and ensuring that disabled veterans have opportunities for employment. And the Trump administration has now said it wants to target DEI in the private sector, too, because American business is sacrosanct, unless they're doing something Republicans don't like, I guess.

Yes, DEI can often look like window dressing to me, a way for businesses that do things like break up unions or build bombs to look good in front of the general public. But the anti-DEI fighters on the right seem to be of the belief that DEI is when a black woman has a job. It's complicated. So to talk about the Trump administration's fight against DEI, I called up Farrah Stockman, a member of the New York Times editorial board. Farrah, welcome to What Today. What?

Hey, thanks for having me. So former President Biden had the most diverse cabinet in American history. How did that diversity translate into benefits for the American public?

What a good question. I mean, this summer, I actually started trying to collect stories about how people's personal histories helped them do their job, right? So you have the first Native American cabinet member, Deb Haaland. Like, how did that make her a better cabinet member? And, you know, you can tell that story, right? So she...

ended up finding a way to auction off federal land for conservation, which is something that was important to her because she had this sort of indigenous connection to the land. She was the secretary of the interior.

So it was harder than I thought, though, to collect those stories. People in the administration weren't expecting that question. They had been expecting to, you know, tell how many people of color were on the cabinet, but not how sort of

the specifics of how their background actually mattered. Do you think that there were missteps? Because I think when I talk to some people who are further on the left than I am, they've argued that corporate DEI or DEI in government can be a smokescreen. Because at the one point, like, yes, it's great to have an African American press secretary. But on the other hand, what does that mean for African American workers? Did these programs, whether DEI in government or

or DEI in corporate America, do those programs work? Do they do what we wanted them to do? So I definitely think there were missteps. I think a lot of missteps were around messaging and how you, you know, when people ask you who you're going to appoint to the Supreme Court, you say a black woman. It doesn't telegraph that you're appointing the most qualified person for the job. So, you know, I wish Biden had just said, I'm going to appoint someone very,

qualified and then appointed Katonji Brown-Jackson. But, you know, your point about whether it could be a smokescreen, I think...

The Biden administration's diversity efforts are poorly understood. And part of what they did do was look for data, data on not just federal hiring, but also grants. Who's getting grants? Which kind is the communities? And also suppliers. Who's supplying the federal government? And

And I think that kind of information is important. And it was not just people of color they were looking at. They were looking at disabled veterans. They were looking at rural communities. They were looking at people formerly incarcerated and what are their obstacles to getting hired. So I just it was a sprawling whole of government effort that was probably too big to even comprehend necessarily.

And now we're in this moment of cultural whiplash where like people are expected to scrub the stuff off their resume because it's now a mark against you. Right. And, you know, that's because of President Donald Trump, who has wasted no time in unwinding Biden's diversity efforts, namely by shutting down government offices dedicated to DEI work and clearing the way to fire their employees. But how broadly is the Trump administration defining diversity?

And what sorts of programs are gone now? Well, I mean, anybody who worked in an office where DEI was in the name is gone. And not only that, but they've started sort of a witch hunt where they've given people 10 days to report on programs that used to have DEI in their description, but had that description changed after November. Right.

So they're looking for, you know, secret programs that might be trying to fly under the radar. But Trump also rolled back like LBJ's executive order.

He's going back to the 60s. It's not like he's just going back to Biden and some, you know, excesses of recent years. He's going back to when Lyndon B. Johnson said, let's not discriminate on the basis of race. So are we comfortable with that? Are we OK to going back that far and getting rid of that executive order? I'm not. Yeah. And.

Just the types of programs that could get swept up in this. What does this mean for pretty much any policy that is aimed specifically at helping a non-white man do stuff in the workforce?

I mean, it's going to be interesting to see what they do and whether they go after colleges, right? Forget about the federal government. What are they going to do to the private sector? Costco is still, like, standing strong on diversity and saying it's important and that they're still going to, you know, hire with that in mind.

you know, are they going to try to make an example of Costco? Like, so that's where we're at. One of the challenges here is that the term DEI has become deeply politicized. We have people who, and I will say people who I think are racists who basically are like, if you hire a nonwhite person, that's DEI. But you also have a lot of people who have re, you know, reap the benefits of DEI programs. So basically,

Do you think Americans really support the ends of these kinds of programs in practice? I think the whole term DEI has become quite toxic. And I'm not sure it deserves all the vitriol that's surrounding it. But I don't

I remember a friend of mine who was a Democrat. As soon as Biden got behind this whole DEI push, he registered as an independent. Like, you know, there's this feeling that when you talk about diversity, you're throwing out merit. And I think there are a lot of Americans who misunderstand the idea

the sort of spirit behind it um i don't uh i don't think that people realize how far this is gonna go and i'm not sure they're gonna like what we end up with i want to pick up at what you were just saying about the idea of merit because it's been jarring to see the split screen of the trump administration insisting that dei policies and merit-based hiring are mutually exclusive

And yet at the same time, some of the Trump cabinet picks like newly confirmed defense secretary Pete Hegseth, health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., they are deeply unqualified for the jobs they've been selected for. So what message does that send to the public? It's like merit based hiring, except for, you know, the president, right?

I think the message it sends is that if you're a black or brown person, then when you get the job, that's why you got the job. And merit was not a part of it.

I mean, I think part of the problem is what constitutes merit in a government sense. What are our goals when it comes to the government? And when you look at a private business, at the end of the day, are you making money is a pretty easy goal. But when it comes to government service,

Maybe we don't have the same idea of what constitutes success. And I think for Trump, loyalty is all that matters, right? This is such a massive pendulum swing in such a short amount of time. I mean...

2020 was just a couple of years ago. It's been wild. So how do you see this playing out in the next few weeks, months, and years? I mean, it is an incredible cultural whiplash. The Biden administration came to power in the wake of the George Floyd protests. And at the time, like DEI was like one of the promises to the left that he kept. He came in and said, we're going to do this whole of government effort to make sure that we're

we look at where we're falling short. And I don't know, it was an incredibly idealistic moment to say the federal government is going to push a lot of money out the door and we want to make sure we're pushing it equitably to communities that need it. And we don't want communities that are rural or underserved or

to have a harder time getting access. And we want to make sure that poor people who normally don't pay close attention get the checks they're owed. And that came under this DEI kind of rubric. So...

You know, we can you can say what you want about merit and and how results mean more than representation. But some of this stuff you don't want to throw out. Farah, thank you so much for being here. Hey, thanks for having me.

That was my conversation with Farrah Stockman, a member of the New York Times editorial board. We'll link to her pieces on DEI in the show notes. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads.

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Here's what else we're following today. Headlines. I'd like Egypt to take people. I'd like Georgia to take people. You're talking about probably a million and a half people.

And we just clean out that whole Vegas. President Trump told reporters on Saturday that he thinks Jordan and Egypt should take Palestinian refugees from Gaza while the Strip rebuilds. He said their resettlement could be temporary or long-term. For the record, Mr. President, nearly all of the 2 million people who live in Gaza have been displaced by the ongoing war on the Strip. I said to him,

I'd love you to take one more, because I'm looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it's a mess. Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinian refugees, a result of decades of war. Trump said he spoke to the King of Jordan over the weekend about taking in more, but Jordanian officials publicly rejected the idea on Sunday. Egypt has yet to issue a public comment, but has refused the idea in the past, citing concerns that Israel may never allow refugees to return home.

Israel's finance minister, on the other hand, called Trump's proposal, quote, a great idea. On Sunday, Israel's military opened fire on crowds of displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza who were trying to return home. Two people were killed. Israel blocked the road to northern Gaza over the weekend, accusing Hamas of violating the order of hostage release outlined in their ceasefire agreement. Hamas freed four Israeli soldiers in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, per The Deal on Saturday.

But Israel said it's still waiting for Hamas to release another Israeli hostage and will not leave northern Gaza until she's freed. Next door in Lebanon, a crucial deadline in Israel's ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah expired on Sunday.

signaling that heavy fighting between the two sides could soon resume. Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed militant group, agreed on a fighting pause with Israel back in November after trading fire for months. The deal required Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26th. This would have made the region a buffer zone and allowed displaced residents to return home.

But Israel accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement and refused to withdraw. Instead, Israel's military opened fire on dozens of people in the region who were protesting its troops. At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. Israel called Sunday's attack a round of warning shots. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops will stay in southern Lebanon until they're confident that Hezbollah won't regain control of the area.

While all of this was going on, the White House put out a press release on Sunday saying that the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was extended to mid-February. But neither Hezbollah nor Israel have confirmed a new deal. Over the weekend, two of Trump's cabinet picks were confirmed. On Saturday, Pete Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary despite allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse. Hegseth denies the claims. He thanked God and his third wife for the win Saturday.

And as I said in my hearing, it was Jesus and Jenny. I would not be here without you, sweetheart. Vice President J.D. Vance broke the tie to confirm Hegseth after a 50-50 vote in the Senate on Friday. Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine were the only three Republicans to join Democrats in voting against Hegseth's confirmation.

It was just the second time in U.S. history a vice president broke a tie for a cabinet nominee. The Senate also confirmed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary on Saturday. The bipartisan vote was 59 to 34. Noem, who infamously admitted to shooting her family puppy, was sworn in later that day. Some of Trump's other cabinet picks, including two of his more questionable nominees, are scheduled to have their confirmation hearings this week.

Former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary. More than a dozen inspectors general received late night emails from the Trump administration on Friday firing them. The federal watchdogs were removed from the Defense Department, State Department, Health and Human Services Department and the Department of Labor.

So

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tried to justify the Trump administration's firings on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. But very quickly, the law says he's supposed to be on 30 days notice. He didn't do that. Do you think he violated the law? Well, technically, yeah, but he has the authority to do it. So I'm not losing a whole lot of sleep that he wants to change the personnel out. The authority to violate the law? Okay.

California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff was also on Meet the Press and responded to Graham's comments. To write off this clear violation of law by saying, well, technically he broke the law. Yeah, he broke the law. And not just any law, but a law meant to crowd out waste, fraud and abuse. Schiff said, quote, if we don't have good and independent inspector generals, we are going to see a swamp refill. And that's the news. One more thing.

Elon Musk is the world's richest person. Elon Musk has discussed being neurodiverse. Elon Musk has also advocated for far-right parties and individuals in countries around the globe. According to a British right-wing activist convicted of libeling a Syrian child, Elon said he would pay his legal fees. And Elon demanded that he be freed from prison on Twitter.

On Saturday, he spoke to the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany and said that it was time for Germans to just get over any historical guilt they might have over anything their great-grandparents may have done. You know, say around 1933 to 1945. You know, I think there's like frankly too much of a focus on past guilt and we need to move beyond that.

None of this is very subtle. And yet I have seen so many people completely unable to make the very clear connections between an extremely wealthy man and his clear and obvious viewpoints.

Some have even claimed that his actions are because he's neurodiverse. No. And it's not just his weird double salute at the inauguration that you've probably seen on your For You page. It's a ton of his tweets and the people knew Twitter under Musk algorithmically boosts in your timeline. It's a time that Elon responded to a user saying, quote, Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them with, quote, you have said the actual truth.

Remember when Elon visited Auschwitz before attending a conference on anti-Semitism last January? That tweet was why. So no, Elon's current love affair with the global far right is not because he's neurodiverse. He cannot simultaneously be one of the most powerful people on the face of the earth and our smallest little bean, too silly and joyful and too on the spectrum to know better. For one thing, that's one hell of a way to tell people with autism what you really think about them.

If he's capable of running some of the biggest companies in the world and receiving tens of billions of dollars in government contracts, then he should also be capable of knowing what a Nazi salute looks like and not doing it. And definitely not joking about Nazi leadership on the Internet afterwards. With great power comes great responsibility, especially if you're Elon Musk. Before we go.

The next four years is going to be a challenge, but Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America, is here to help cut through the media noise with his Message Box newsletter. In the months ahead, Dan will break down the 2024 election, dive into how Democrats can rebuild their coalition, and strategize how we can take on the right-wing media machine. He'll also provide readers with guidance on where to volunteer, which campaigns matter most, and how to talk to persuadable voters about Trump's dangerous actions.

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial of MessageBox at crooked.com slash yeswedan. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, don't be late to your own swearing-in ceremony like our new Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and tell your friends to listen.

And if you're also into reading, and not just about how GNOME was so late, Vice President J.D. Vance just left, which honestly, same. Like me, What Today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston, and what can I say? I hate lateness. Don't be late.

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Bye.

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