PBS Shuts DEI Office, Fires Diversity Officers After Trump’s Order

CEO Paula Kerger attends the PBS 2023 TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 16, 2023. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

PBS has shut down its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office and fired its DEI officers after recent executive actions by President Donald Trump, who opposes DEI on the premise that it’s anti-meritocratic and discriminates on the basis of sex, race, or other factors.

The broadcaster confirmed the move in a Feb. 10 statement to media outlets after growing speculation that, as a partially taxpayer-funded entity, it would have to comply with Trump’s orders.

“In order to best ensure we are in compliance with the President’s executive order around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we have closed our DEI office,“ PBS said in a statement. ”The staff members who served in that office are leaving PBS.”

PBS added that it would continue to adhere to its mission and values and “will continue to reflect all of America and remain a welcoming place for everyone.”

Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has signed three executive orders that collectively seek to dismantle DEI initiatives in government and taxpayer-funded institutions.

The “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” order prohibits race- and gender-based hiring or promotion preferences in federal agencies and contractors.

The “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism” order eliminates DEI-based gender policies, reaffirming a legal definition of sex based on biological distinctions.

Meanwhile, the “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs” order bans federal funding for DEI offices, programs, and training, requiring agencies and grant recipients—including PBS—to eliminate such initiatives.

“The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military,” Trump wrote in the order that most explicitly pertains to PBS.

“The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today,” Trump continued. “Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great.”

While critics view DEI initiatives as a form of identity-based discrimination that undermines meritocracy, supporters of DEI say such policies promote inclusivity, reduce discrimination, and ensure greater representation for historically marginalized groups.

Democratic lawmakers continue to defend DEI, calling opposition to it discriminatory and harmful to equal opportunity.

“Anti-DEI rhetoric and policy goals are dangerous, destructive, and discriminatory. Ultimately, they erect barriers to our American dreams,” reads an open letter signed by around two dozen Democratic lawmakers. “As we hold ourselves accountable to defending and extending the benefits of DEI, we also hold you accountable to achieving the same goal.”

Beyond the Trump administration’s actions to combat DEI, major corporations—including Caterpillar, McDonald’s, and Walmart—have begun scaling back such programs in the face of growing public opposition. The Human Rights Campaign has criticized this corporate shift, warning of boycotts from the LGBT community.

Public skepticism toward DEI has grown in recent times, particularly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions in 2023.