Facebook owner Meta Platforms and Amazon.com are winding down diversity programs ahead of Republican Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency as conservative opposition to such initiatives grows louder.

Some of America’s biggest businesses have been scaling back their diversity initiatives, years after pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests against the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020, a Reuters report stated.

Meta is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, including those for hiring, training and picking suppliers, it said in an internal memo to employees on Friday – the latest in a series of actions cheered by conservatives.

In less than two weeks, Meta has scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program, elevated prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to be its chief global affairs officer and elected Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and close friend of Trump, to its board.

The Mark Zuckerberg-led social media giant has been attempting to mend relations with a leader who has railed against its political content policies and threatened its CEO with imprisonment.

Amazon.com is “winding down outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion, aiming to complete the process by the end of 2024, it said in a December memo to employees seen by Reuters on Friday.

Conservative groups have denounced DEI programs and threatened to sue companies over them, emboldened by a US Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that struck down affirmative action in university admissions decisions.

Just this week, Elon Musk and other Trump allies blamed DEI programmes for hindering the response to raging wildfires in Los Angeles, without evidence.