Fear not, America -– President Donald Trump has the answer for the cause of the midair collision between the American Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter, which killed 67 people on Jan. 29: diversity. Because of President Trump’s “common sense,” he was able to conclude that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies were to blame. DEI initiatives have increasingly become the target of criticism and blame in the political sphere, especially under the Trump administration. Instead of addressing the root causes of issues, the Trump administration and its fans have utilized DEI as a convenient scapegoat, diverting attention from policies and decisions that originated these issues, as well as justifying and normalizing the future use of slandering underrepresented groups.

Attacks on initiatives to promote DEI are nothing new. College campuses, the workplace and the federal government are grounds on which DEI has come under scrutiny. DEI, as understood today, finds its roots in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and over the years has sought to address systemic inequalities and discrimination. DEI programs have been adopted to create more inclusive environments, provide more equitable opportunities with resources tailored to the needs of individuals and ensure the representation of different identities such as race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability and more. The aim of DEI initiatives is to foster an environment where everyone can thrive.

A 2023 Pew Research Report and a 2024 Post Ipsos poll from the Washington Post found that DEI initiatives are favorable among Americans; however, DEI does face valid criticisms. Some argue that DEI efforts are superficial gestures that do not address deeper, systemic problems. A 2023 DDI report found that since the implementation of DEI practices in the workplace in 2020, there has been an 18% decrease in leaders who endorse these initiatives. Some argue that DEI, if handled improperly, can lead to tokenism, and in this case, surface-level efforts in creating a successfully diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace, will only exacerbate feelings of isolation for underrepresented groups and does not address the issues at hand. 

However, blaming DEI for unrelated problems undermines the gravity of issues of discrimination and prejudice. It is a deflection tactic. Two notable examples of this phenomenon of blaming DEI to deflect from the pertinent issues at hand include Trump blaming a midair collision on diversity efforts and Elon Musk attributing the California wildfires to DEI policies — allegations that have both found their footing within the right-wing fanbase.

On Jan. 20, Trump signed multiple executive orders, including a hiring freeze on federal civilian employees, halting the creation and filling of jobs positions. On the same day, he signed the executive order “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” which alleged that DEI is an “illegal and immoral discrimination program.” This has led companies like Google and Walmart to scrap DEI initiatives, especially with an influx of conservative backlash. 

After a hiring freeze and ending government DEI programs, the next day, Trump signed an executive order “Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation” stating that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had “betrayed its mission by elevating dangerous discrimination over excellence” and called for the restoration of “non-discriminatory, merit-based hiring.” Michael Whittaker, the former FAA administrator, resigned the same week on Jan. 20, after Musk, a close friend of the President, called for Whittaker to quit. 

Following the chaos of administrative change, with the Jan. 29 midair collision that killed 67 people, many believed the Trump administration’s policies like firing the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and dissolving the Aviation Security Advisory Committee were contributing factors. Despite these changes in the sphere of aviation safety, some experts disagreed with this allegation, with one stating, “the actions by President Trump would not have led to such an immediate impact.” Following the deadly collision, Trump blamed Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for the standards of the U.S. aviation system in addition to DEI policies that led to the crash, detracting from the gravity of the situation and using his war on wokeism as a catch-all excuse for tragedy.

Many right-wing figures have also contributed to the scapegoating of DEI. Many Republicans believe that DEI is to blame for the Los Angeles fires. These historically devastating and tragic fires were another platform to wage a war against DEI. With the LA fires, members of the GOP believed that LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who is the first woman and LGBTQ+ member to run the fire department, and LA Mayor Karen Bass, the first Black, female mayor of the city, were to blame for the spread of the fires as they seemingly “let their progressive values distract them from public safety.” In an unsurprising and unfounded claim, Musk on the LA fires wrote, “DEI means people die,” detracting from causes of wildfires, like climate change. 

Instilling fear is certainly a successful tool. With high-profile figures like Trump and Musk spearheading this war against DEI, the consequences of this scapegoating know no bounds and help to normalize it. Broader societal acceptance of DEI as an evil undermines the progress made in diversity, equity and inclusion in various sectors of education, governance, employment and more. This tactic diverts attention from systemic issues that DEI initiatives aim to address, stalling progress and magnifying inequalities. Trump and his followers are attempting to make it a norm to blame misfortune on DEI. These accusations are evil and insensitive to those affected by recent events like the collision and fires. Going forward, it is essential to challenge narratives of misinformation surrounding DEI and more, as it is frankly illogical to succumb to Trump’s word. 

Indira Kar, FCRH ’25, is an international studies major from St. Louis, Missouri