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President Donald Trump took to social media Wednesday to demand that Apple (AAPL-2.85%) to discontinue its diversity policies.
“APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM. DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!,” the president said in a post on his social media site Truth Social.
The iPhone maker’s shareholders on Tuesday shot down a proposal by the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research to dismantle the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The tech giant had defended its DEI practices ahead of the shareholder vote, saying the practices have been instrumental to its success over the years. In a statement, Apple cited its established compliance program and a desire to create a “culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work.”
“We believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple’s success as making the best products in the world,” Apple said.
The push against DEI comes as Trump’s administration and conservative activists have taken a hard-line stance against such programs. In January, the president directed federal agencies to identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of public groups and attempted to ban contracts for implementing “illegal DEI” programs.
About 20% of companies in the S&P 100 have retreated from DEI commitments, Bloomberg News reported. Meanwhile a handful of major companies like Apple, Costco (COST-2.02%) and McKinsey & Co have defended their diversity policies.