In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017"APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote.
Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of shareholders voted against a proposal that asked the company to consider abolishing its Inclusion & Diversity policies and goals.
The proposal was submitted by the U.S. National Center for Public Policy Research, which calls itself a "non-partisan, free-market, independent conservative think tank." The organization said that DEI programs pose "litigation, reputational, and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders."
Apple recommended that shareholders vote against the proposal, labeling it as an attempt to "micromanage" the company's business operations. Apple said that it already actively monitors its operations to maintain compliance with applicable non‑discrimination laws. During the shareholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the company may be forced to make changes to its DEI policies in the future, as required by law. Trump believes that Apple should get rid of the policies, rather than modify them.
In any case, Cook told shareholders that Apple will always have a culture of belonging.
"We strive to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work," said Apple, in its annual shareholders meeting notice.
Trump has criticized DEI programs since returning to the White House. Last month, he signed an executive order that "terminates 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) discrimination in the federal workforce." In response, some other tech companies like Google have scaled back DEI policies in recent weeks.
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