The phrase "affirmative action" and much of the executive order Trump is repealing, itself built on one signed by Johnson's predecessor John F. Kennedy in March 1961, which asked government contractors to "take affirmative action" to insure employees and applicants were treated "without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin."

The new president just unwound a landmark anti-discrimination measure implemented amid the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11246, promoting affirmative action in federal contracting, was among the number of DEI policies targeted by the president.

By revoking Executive Order 11246, Donald Trump has erased key civil rights protections for federal contractors.

With a stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Tuesday that overturned government policies going back six decades that banned discrimination and required affirmative action by federal contractors.

Learn about the history of Executive Order 11246 following President Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI programs and remove DEI employees within a week.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025. (Photo by Morry Gash / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MORRY GASH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Among the first executive actions signed by President Donald Trump during his first day in office was ending “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity and inclusion programs inside federal agencies. In a phone call Monday morning ahead of Trump’s swearing-in,

President Donald Trump’s sweeping orders to end the government’s diversity, equity and inclusion effort mark a sea change for the country.

Donald Trump is rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts with his latest initiative to eliminate federal DEI positions.

During his oath, Trump did not place his hand atop the Bible, a moment that quickly took over on social media as people watching at home took notice. #BREAKING: Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/VywxkH9E4D

President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on federal DEI efforts Tuesday, dismantling DEI offices and rolling back decades-old protections put in place during the Civil Rights Movement.