Stockholm Rejects U.S. Embassy’s Push to Enforce Trump-Era Anti-DEI Policy Across Borders

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington.

The Stockholm City Council has formally rejected a request from the U.S. Embassy to comply with the Trump administration’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, signaling a growing resistance in Europe to American efforts to export domestic culture war initiatives abroad.

In an email dated April 29, the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm asked the city's planning office to certify that contractors associated with the city do not engage in any programs promoting DEI that would allegedly conflict with U.S. anti-discrimination law. The city council announced Friday that it will neither comply with the request nor issue an official response.

The embassy’s request is part of a broader campaign spearheaded by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has vowed to dismantle DEI initiatives across the federal government and beyond. In his latest policy statements, Trump has described DEI as a form of “social engineering” based on race and gender, pledging to eliminate such efforts if re-elected.

Other European governments and municipalities have received similar directives from U.S. embassies, including France, Belgium, and the city of Barcelona. Each has pushed back against what they see as an attempt to impose American political ideology on European institutions.

The Swedish capital’s refusal adds to the growing transatlantic divide on issues of diversity and inclusion. Stockholm’s DEI policies remain broadly supported by local officials and the public, who view such efforts as integral to social cohesion and equality.

While the U.S. Embassy has not publicly commented on Stockholm’s decision, the embassy’s outreach has drawn criticism from legal experts and foreign policy analysts, who argue that U.S. diplomatic missions are overstepping their mandate by attempting to influence local policies in host countries.

The confrontation underscores the wider cultural and ideological clash between American conservative policies under Trump and the progressive social frameworks embraced by much of Europe.