Dhruv Moondra
31 January 2025

Trump started his tenure with a bang. No sooner did he take office that he already signed a plethora of game changing executive orders that would change everything previous governments stood for. Trump is well known for his conservative, nationalist stance and with that he has already signed legislations like establishing strict binary definitions of sex within federal agencies, prohibiting private organisations from implementing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs in certain cases, and the repeal of various clean energy incentives and targets in place of promoting fossil fuels. All this has provoked numerous companies to adapt by changing their corporate culture, namely Meta, Walmart and Mcdonalds which have scaled back their DEI initiatives and many other policies to favour the new administration

What does this mean for corporate culture in the United states? Well there are various multidimensional implications, especially relating to employment, regulation and CSR(Corporate Social Responsibility). 

Donald Trump’s pro-business doctrine means social and environmental issues will take a back seat in favour of efficiency and profits. In fact, Trump’s outright criticism of immigrants, climate change and LGBTQ+ rights may even lead to companies facing political and legal pushback, like when Trump accused Meta of censorship in the name of content moderation. This means businesses will largely disassociate themselves with programmes like Pride events, racial justice initiatives, and ESG policies. 

What’s more, many companies have ditched their plans to be sustainable. Since the announcement of Trump’s presidency, big tech firms have placed their bets on fossil-fuels.The energy consultancy Enverus states that 80 new gas-fired power plants,equivalent to Norwey’s energy system will be constructed in the US by 2030 to power the AI revolution. This is expected to release a lot of carbon dioxide, especially since these power plants will be unequipped with carbon capture systems. In fact, many EV and green energy companies have also suffered a massive hit as Trump abolished subsidies overnight while the industry experienced a huge downfall in investment. 

Additionally, Trump’s rescission of DEI initiatives also means that businesses in America are expected to transform their hiring practices, transitioning from quota and identity-based recruitment to one that is purely focused on merit.  Although this enables companies to gain access to better human capital that will be more productive, relaxed labour regulations could potentially increase unemployment such as how Meta announced massive cuts of its DEI staff. Furthermore, the withdrawal of these DEI schemes may even encourage identity based discrimination resulting in a more inequitable society with the marginalisation of certain communities.

In the end, we can clearly see how Trump’s presidency is making an unprecedented shift in the workforce dynamics of the United States. His series of executive orders and powers over the judiciary will allow him to continue to get his way in passing bills that act towards the further deregulation of businesses, labour protections and anti-climate agenda. All this will play an influential role on America’s corporate culture in the coming years ahead. 

Works Cited:
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/has-the-arrival-of-trump-led-t-vA1sXIOnSWik5L_fJYEINA