Trump pushes Apple to cease its diversity practices after shareholders vote in favor
U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged Apple (AAPL.O) on Wednesday to remove its diversity, equality, and inclusion policies, a day after the iPhone maker’s shareholders voted overwhelmingly to preserve them despite rising opposition from conservative groups.
Big U.S. corporations, like Meta (META.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O), have shelved DEI programs since Trump’s return to the administration.
He has labeled them discriminatory and proposed that the Department of Justice investigate if such activities violate the law.
Tuesday’s vote at the iPhone maker’s annual meeting was viewed as a test of shareholder sentiment toward DEI programs, which many corporations established or expanded beginning in 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Supporters argue that the policies address long-standing bias, injustice, and discrimination. However, proponents of the proposal against Apple’s DEI argued that recent legal developments could lead to an increase in discrimination cases if Apple maintained its current standards.
In January, Trump signed an executive order to terminate DEI projects in the federal government and private sector, claiming that such efforts discriminate against other Americans, notably white people and men, and undermine the value of merit in job hiring and promotion.
Apple has stated that it exercised diligent oversight to prevent legal risks and that the idea inappropriately constrained management.
The corporation provides workforce diversity data but does not establish objectives or quotas, instead focusing its DEI efforts on projects like a racial justice initiative that helps historically Black institutions and universities in the United States.
