President Donald Trump is calling on Apple to abandon its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, claiming that these programs are "very bad" for the United States.
On Tuesday, shareholders rejected an attempt to scrap DEI initiatives at the tech behemoth.
Following the vote, Trump called out Apple and characterized DEI as a "hoax."
President Trump called on Apple to end its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives on Wednesday. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Apple should get rid of DEI rules, not just make adjustments to them. DEI was a hoax that has been very bad for our country. DEI is gone!!!" the president wrote Wednesday morning on Truth Social.
During Tuesday's shareholder vote, Stefan Padfield, executive director of the National Center for Public Policy Research's Free Enterprise Project (FEP), claimed DEI "routinely discriminates on the basis of race, sex, and other demographic categories," calling said programs "illegal and immoral."
"The vibe shift is clear. DEI is out. Merit is in," he said, referencing Trump's recent executive order on diversity programs.
A proposal to abolish DEI at Apple failed to pass on Tuesday following a vote by shareholders. (Getty Images/iStock / Getty Images)
The National Center for Public Policy Research previously claimed that Apple's policies are consistent with, "if not more radical than" most corporate DEI programs.
On Friday, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction over parts of the Trump administration's executive orders on DEI.
The injunction largely blocks the sections of Trump's orders that seek to end federal support for programs deemed to be DEI-related and prevents the Trump administration from canceling contracts that they believe promote these programs.
FILE PHOTO: Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the 'Wonderlust' event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 12, 2023. (REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
Trump's day one executive order directed the federal contracting process to "be streamlined to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil-rights laws."
The order also commanded the Office of Federal Contract Compliance to "immediately cease" promoting "diversity," as well as any encouragement of federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in affirmative action-like efforts that consider race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion or national origin when making hiring decisions.
Trump's remarks about Apple serve as a rare criticism of the company. In his first term, Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook formed a relatively close relationship that has continued into the new administration.
Apple did not immediately return Fox Business' request for comment.
Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.