Several MAGA figures have rejoiced after Walmart announced it will be rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Walmart, the largest private employer in the U.S. with 1.6 million workers, has become the latest and largest company to say it will backtrack on its diversity initiatives amid right-wing pressure.
The changes include pulling out of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, which measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees, scrapping an equity racial center and not giving priority treatment to suppliers when it comes to race or gender, reported The Associated Press on Monday.
DEI programs aim to address inequities among historically marginalized groups in business, schools, and government agencies and have long been a target of Republican attacks over claims it is racially divisive. Several people joining President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet, including those linked to the Heritage Foundation's conservative manifesto, Project 2025, have vowed to target DEI initiatives.
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who will be joining Trump's cabinet in the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, celebrated the Walmart announcement, suggesting this was a major turning point in the battle against the so-called woke agenda.
"The tide has turned," Musk posted on the X, formerly Twitter, platform he owns.
Newsweek has contacted Walmart for comment via email.
Robby Starbuck, a former Tennessee GOP congressional candidate who has led a pressure campaign against businesses promoting DEI initiatives, took credit for Walmart's announcement and said he had contacted the company about its policies.
"This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America," Starbuck posted on X on Monday. "Our campaigns are now so effective that we're getting the biggest companies on earth to change their policies without me even posting a story outlining their woke policies.
"Companies can clearly see that America wants normalcy back. The era of wokeness is dying right in front of our eyes. The landscape of corporate America is quickly shifting to sanity and neutrality. We are now the trend, not the anomaly."
Starbuck posted several other DEI initiatives that Walmart said it is now ending. This includes no longer using the gender-neutral phrase "Latinx" to describe people of Latin American descent and reviewing its funding to Pride events to ensure it avoids funding inappropriate sexualized content that may be unsuitable for children.
Walmart will also not be renewing its Center for Racial Equity, a five-year $100 million philanthropic commitment established in 2020 to address the "root causes of gaps in outcomes experienced by Black and African American people in education, health, finance, and criminal justice systems."
Conservative commentator Rogan O'Handley, more commonly known as DC Draino, posted to his 1.9 million followers: "Absolutely wild how powerful one X account can be.
"Robby just made Walmart drop their DEI policies. Think about that—an almost $1 trillion company with nearly 2 million employees dropped a corporate policy because of a single forthcoming tweet. The pen is truly mightier than the sword."
Tom Fitton, a Trump ally and president of Judicial Watch, added: "Great news. Robby Starbuck helps convince Walmart to further retreat from woke racial discrimination and other DEI extremism, such as promoting transgender extremism targeting children!
"It is also going to stop trying to appease the cultural left's rabid enforcers at the Human Rights Campaign."
The Libs of TikTok account, operated by Chaya Raichik, wrote while sharing Starbuck's post: "DEI MUST DIE!!"
Walmart has now joined other major companies such as Toyota, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, and Lowe's in announcing it is pulling out of DEI initiatives.
A Walmart spokesperson told The Associated Press that several of the policies being dropped, including using the term DEI in job titles and communications, have been discussed for a while and are not related to conservative outrage or Starbuck's activism.
"We've been on a journey and know we aren't perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers, and suppliers, and to be a Walmart for everyone," the company said in a statement.
After she was nominated to lead the Democratic Party's 2024 ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Black and Asian heritage, was labeled a "DEI vice president" or "DEI candidate" by some right-wing figures. This was met with bipartisan criticism.
Many Black Americans have said calling somebody a "DEI hire" is a racial slur.
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