Monrovia, Liberia – Since taking the oath of office as US president on Monday, Donald Trump has made a flurry of announcements and executive actions. The first full day of President Trump’s tenure: Federal agencies were ordered to put staff working on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes on paid leave “immediately”, with a deadline of 17:00 EST (22:00 GMT) today, according to a memo from the US Office of Personnel Management, first seen by the BBC’s US partner, CBS.
The move followed an executive order issued by the Trump administration, which called for an end to “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral” (DEI) schemes. DEI programmes include a combination of steps taken by organisations to support people from different backgrounds, namely those often underrepresented in the workplace.
According to the BBC, the memo include; On trade policy, Trump said he was considering imposing a 10% tariff on imports of Chinese-made goods as soon as 1 February, In response, the Chinese foreign ministry says it will defend its “national interests”, adding: “there are no winners in a trade war”.
Late on Tuesday, Trump defended his decisison to pardon supporters who were convicted over the 6 January 2021 US capitol riots. He also signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, external who operated Silk Road, the dark web marketplace where illegal drugs were sold.
