The Scoop: As Trump admin flexes muscle, Target retreats from DEI
Also: Proposed TikTok sale could change platform’s algorithm; RTO unfairness poses PR challenges.

Target is the latest national brand to announce plans to roll back long-standing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In a memo to employees, Target announced plans to end its three-year DEI goals and stop reporting to external groups focused on diversity, such as the Human Rights Campaign. The memo noted that Target will no longer support an internal program aimed at carrying more products from Black- and minority-owned businesses.
These changes won’t lead to any layoffs, CNBC reported. But it’s already impacting the ways Target is interacting with the community.
“Many years of data, insights, listening and learning have been shaping this next chapter in our strategy,” Kiera Fernandez, chief community impact and equity officer at Target, wrote in the memo. “And as a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future – all in service of driving Target’s growth and winning together.”
Target is certainly not alone in its decision-making. Companies such as Tractor Supply, Walmart, Meta and McDonald’s have also scaled back or stopped their DEI commitments amid growing political and societal pressures.
Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump ended the government’s DEI programs and placed federal officials in charge of those initiatives on leave.
But not all companies are following this trend. For example, Costco recently voted overwhelmingly to continue supporting its DEI programs, with over 98% of shareholders rejecting a proposal to review its DEI risks.
Why it matters: This is a moment of sea change as monumental as what we saw when George Floyd was murdered in 2020 and organizations across the country adopted DEI measures as a way of addressing historical inequities in business.
To be clear, these changes have been evolving for some time, with a variety of companies slowly scaling back DEI efforts. Then came the Supreme Court decision rolling back affirmative action, which gave some legal cover for halting these programs. Then came societal pressure from activists including Robbie Starbuck. Then, with the election of Donald Trump, the pressures moved from cultural to governmental, with the feds threatening to investigate companies engaging in DEI in ways it deems “illegal.”
This is a delicate moment that requires careful balancing. This is not an issue any one department or communicator can tackle. Legal, HR, internal and external communications must all collaborate to determine what is legal, what is just and how those items should be communicated.
Target and Costco are one example of companies handling this very differently. Target, which had already been the target of anti-LGBTQ+ protests, retreated from DEI. Costco stood in its principles. Behind each decision, surely, were many agonized conversations, disagreements and lawyers.
Your role as a communicator is to be the voice of your audiences. To show the data on their needs and how that may impact the business. This will be a difficult moment regardless of what your organization decides to do. Listen. Advocate in the best interests of the organization and your audiences. That sometimes is the more important role than any official statement.
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- Perplexity AI is pitching a new deal to ByteDance where it would merge with TikTok’s U.S. business, creating a new entity. The U.S. government could own up to 50%, but with no voting power or board seat, leaving ByteDance in partial control. The catch? The deal would exclude TikTok’s key algorithm, which decides what users see on the app, the Associated Press reported. Is TikTok even really TikTok without that all-powerful algorithm? It’s the biggest thing that separates it from other short-form competitors like Shorts and Reels. If the sale goes through, social media teams will need to think about how this might affect engagement. This is just one of several possible sale proposals but no matter who ends up buying it (if anyone), the question will be is it still TikTok or a new app in a TikTok wrapper.
- Companies like Amazon, AT&T and JPMorgan Chase are increasingly enforcing return-to-office policies, with many top employees enjoying more flexibility. Those with unique skills, high performance or seniority often get the privilege of remote or hybrid work, while others are required to return five days a week, according to the Wall Street Journal. This inconsistency has the potential to create some workplace tension, leading to perceptions of favoritism. To address this, transparency is going to be important. PR pros can help in these situations by pitching media or sharing stories – on LinkedIn or the company’s website — about how these flexible setups work and why they’re necessary. Doing so will send a signal that the different arrangement isn’t rooted in favoritism so much as business needs. It’s also important to keep an eye on social media for any complaints and respond quickly to keep the message. Not every decision is going to be popular or even fair. It’s business after all. But by finding ways to communicate the information publicly keeps it from appearing like you’re trying to do something shady behind someone’s back.
- Fitbit agreed to pay a $12.25 million civil penalty for delaying the reporting of battery overheating issues in its Ionic smartwatch. Reports of overheating began in 2018, but Fitbit failed to promptly notify U.S. authorities as required by law. By March 2022, the company had received 118 reports of injuries such as second- and third-degree burns. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission criticized Fitbit for exposing consumers to risks and noted that many injuries could have been prevented. A Fitbit spokesman said, “Customer safety continues to be our top priority, and we’re pleased to resolve this matter with the C.P.S.C. stemming from the 2022 voluntary recall of Fitbit Ionic.” Responding to legal situations is difficult and comms must take a cautious role, once again making friends with the attorneys. FitBit’s statement is short and to the point, emphasizing the three major points in one simple sentence: It’s prioritizing safety, it’s happy with the outcome and reminding people that the company is the one that issued the recall. While in essence it’s not much of a statement, it does the trick. Going deeper would have just opened another can of worms.