Trump Fires Coast Guard Commandant and Ends Federal DEI Policies

Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump fired Coast Guard commandant Admiral Linda L. Fagan. She learned of her dismissal at the Commander in Chief Ball, hours after the decision was made. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formally announced her termination the next day, citing leadership deficiencies, operational failures, and an overemphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Admiral Kevin Lunday was appointed acting commandant following Fagan’s removal. Fagan, previously celebrated as the first female admiral to lead an armed forces branch, was initially nominated by President Biden in April 2022.

Trump swiftly acted on his campaign pledge to eliminate DEI initiatives, signing an executive order to end all DEI programs in federal agencies. A letter from the administration directed agencies to place all DEI employees on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday, shut down DEI offices, and remove all public references to such initiatives. The order mandated agencies to develop plans for laying off DEI personnel by the following week and report their actions to the Office of Personnel Management by January 23, 2025.

Trump’s executive order criticized DEI programs for fostering division, wasting taxpayer dollars, and perpetuating discrimination. It also reversed previous affirmative action policies in federal contracting, dating back to a 1965 order by President Lyndon Johnson. The memo argued that DEI undermines traditional American values of hard work and individual achievement, calling it a “pernicious identity-based spoils system.”

By dismantling DEI policies, Trump positioned his administration as rejecting racial and gender preferences in favor of merit-based approaches, marking a sharp departure from President Biden’s efforts to address racial inequality in government.