Las Vegas rebrands DEI initiative amid Trump crackdown on federal programs

Anyone searching the internet for the city of Las Vegas’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — or DEI — program will instead encounter a page with an error message reading “Page cannot be found.”

As President Donald Trump’s administration pursues its campaign promise of cracking down on government DEI programs, locally, the city of Las Vegas told the Review-Journal it is rebranding its former DEI program.

The new program, which a spokesperson said on Wednesday was set in motion “well before the end” of 2024, will be called Inclusion and Belonging, according to a spokesperson for the city. The spokesperson did not confirm whether or not the decision was made prior to Trump’s win on Election Day.

The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine shows the web page was live at the end of September. “The city of Las Vegas is working to improve well-being for all Las Vegans through diversity, equity and inclusion,” it previously read.

“We know people have many preconceived notions about what DEI is, or isn’t,” said David Riggleman, communications director for the city of Las Vegas, in an email. “By renaming the program to Inclusion and Belonging, we can better define what that effort means for our purposes.”

Long criticized by Trump

DEI initiatives have been long criticized by Trump, who called for the end of the programs throughout government institutions while running for president.

The programs also came under fire when, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 ended affirmative action in college admissions, conservative groups filed lawsuits making similar arguments about corporations’ diversity programs.

When Trump took office in January, he signed an executive order eliminating DEI programs at executive branch departments and placing federal DEI officers on immediate leave pending elimination.

Riggleman said the city of Las Vegas is still working to develop the program’s specifics with the goal of creating “a strong workplace environment where everyone feels their perspectives are valued.”

He added that he hopes the name change will “eliminate any preconceptions and false understandings” about the program.

Other cities and the county

The city of Henderson’s website hosts a Diversity and Inclusion page, which states that the city “welcomes the contributions of all individuals to our community and believes in equal treatment and inclusion for all.”

“We do not anticipate changes to our current programs at this time,” said Justin Emerson, public information officer for the city of Henderson.

While the city of North Las Vegas did not immediately respond to questions about whether it plans on maintaining its program, the city still has its DEI web page live online.

Clark County has an Office of Diversity Division, which a spokesperson said was previously called the Equal Employment Opportunity Office a number of years ago.

“The County’s Office of Diversity is focused on compliance with state and federal law,” said Jennifer Cooper, chief communications and strategy officer for the county.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estelleatkinson.bsky.social on Bluesky and @estellelilym on X.