MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle was back with more observations on President Trump's official suspension of all federal DEI programs. On Thursday’s episode of The 11th Hour, she hosted another panel, this one featuring MSNBC’s Carol Leonnig, Punchbowl News’s Melanie Zanona, and Peter Baker of the New York Times. Yet again, she brimmed with pure contempt and disgust for the new executive order, and the idea that there could be any rational reason for it whatsoever, this time even going so far as to drop dark, not-so-subtle hints about the onset of a totalitarian police-state.
“Carol, this confounds me,” Ruhle opened up with, as the headline blared “Trump Admin. Pushes Federal Govt. Employees To Snitch On Colleagues Doing DEI-Related Work.” With rhetorical flair, she asked, “But what in the world is going on, right?”
Answering her own question, she continued, “Even if I wasn’t a DEI enthusiast, this is just stupid!”
Good thing we cleared the air on that. There was no reason to be concerned that millions of Americans of all races and backgrounds do not actually like DEI, and do not actually enjoy being subjected to workplace training, political messaging in their favorite shows, games, or sports leagues. Never mind that millions of people would so much rather just live their lives undisturbed, and be judged as individuals, and extend the same basic human courtesy to others. Never mind that there are all sorts of obvious problems with maintaining the upkeep of a massive bureaucracy devoted to something much of the public does not even want. No, it's just stupid!
She doesn’t even leave it at that, essentially insinuating that the policy smacks of totalitarian dictatorship. As an aside while discussing the provision requiring federal employees to report covert DEI positions, she says, “I’m not even going to ask, have we ever seen anything like this?”
Leonnig agreed, calling it nothing more that "performative":
This stuff has such a performative air to it, right? I mean, within 12 hours of becoming the President of the United States a second time, Donald Trump sends out- through his acting cabinet secretaries- a big, scary warning, ‘You've got 10 days to report on your fellow employees who are trying to conceal that they're hidden in the woodwork and involved in diversity or affirmative action work or equity or inclusion, and they're trying to hide it by changing the names of the programs or using codes. You've got 10 days, people, to not face adverse consequences.’
Ruhle then launched into a dramatic and impassioned conclusion, beginning, “It's just, like, performative, for who or what? Putting these employees on leave? You still have to pay them out. Great. Now they're sitting home. For what?”
Now, federal employees can spend more time doing their jobs and less time focused on race politics.
Here is a transcript from the January 23 show:
MSNBC’s The 11th Hour
01/23/25
11:09 PM(…)
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: TRUMP ADMIN. PUSHES FEDERAL GOVT. EMPLOYEES TO SNITCH ON COLLEAGUES DOING DEI-RELATED WORK]
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Carol, this one confounds me. Okay, the administration is now pushing- I'm going to say it slowly, so the audience really hears it. They are pushing Federal Government employees, that have jobs to do, to now snitch on any colleagues that they suspect are doing any kind of work, in terms- surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. I'm not even going to ask, have we ever seen anything like this? But what in the world is going on, right? Even if I wasn't a DEI enthusiast, this is just stupid!
CAROL LEONNIG, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: This stuff has such a performative air to it, right? I mean, within 12 hours of becoming the president of the United States a second time, Donald Trump sends out- through his acting cabinet secretaries- a big, scary warning, “You've got 10 days to report on your fellow employees who are trying to conceal that they're hidden in the woodwork and involved in diversity or affirmative action work or equity or inclusion, and they're trying to hide it by changing the names of the programs or using codes. You've got 10 days, people, to not face adverse consequences.”
It's just a strange, sort of scary- totalitarian- kind of message to send- that- that big brother is watching you, essentially. And your colleagues may be checking you out. I mean, do we really think that a lot of people try to re-sculpt the name of DEI programs right after Donald Trump was elected? Um- I'm not sure that we do, but I do think that this sends a sort of shock and fear- shock and awe- kind of message.
And for it to be the first thing out of the gate. Again, putting DEI employees on leave all across the government, which was another interesting step. Very performative to remind the base of Donald Trump, “I've got you. We're going to get rid of these wake- woke programs. We're going to- forget about- affirmative action, that- literally was begun under President Nixon. And- and just stop this because it's so damaging to America,” in Donald Trump's view.
RUHLE: It's just, like, performative, for who or what? Putting these employees on leave? You still have to pay them out. Great. Now they're sitting home. For what? What was being done that was so damn damaging for the American people? It's amazing that on day three and four, after four years of what they said were an absolute disaster for the American people under Joe Biden, this is what they make as their week one priority.
