The highest-profile opponent to corporate America's yearslong DEI push is preparing to take power. President-elect Donald Trump has called for banning DEI programs and surrounded himself on the campaign trail with advisers like Elon Musk who have been publicly hostile toward these initiatives. This indicates that there could soon be a sea change in how the government handles workplace diversity. This shift, coming four years after a national reckoning on race made DEI a major focus for commercial real estate firms, could threaten the progress they have made on adding women and people of color to their ranks. 
“I imagine that there are a number of senior officials and companies now — even the most committed to DEI — who are trying to figure out, ‘How do we hold the line and keep doing what we’re doing in a way that doesn’t draw too much attention from the new administration?’” said Michael Posner, a professor of ethics and finance at NYU Stern School of Business. Even before Trump won the election, the attacks on DEI from politicians on the right — coupled with last year’s Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action programs in college admissions — had already led companies to tamp down their promotion of diversity initiatives and take action to avoid lawsuits, according to several professionals who work on diversity efforts. Many firms that remain committed to DEI initiatives have softened the language around those programs to strip out the most politically divisive terminology, and they have hired experts to evaluate potential risks in their hiring practices. Those moves are likely to accelerate under a Trump administration, while other companies are expected to use his election to retreat from policies they felt coerced into embracing over the last few years. Read the full story here. | 
