Trump Selects DEI Critic to Head Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division

Dive Brief:

• President Donald Trump has appointed Craig Trainor, a notable critic of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, to head the civil rights division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Trainor will serve as the acting assistant attorney general for the division. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced this decision via social media, although the plans for Trainor’s permanent nomination remain undisclosed.
• During his tenure at the U.S. Department of Education, Trainor crafted guidance—which has since been invalidated by federal courts—that threatened colleges with loss of federal funding due to their DEI programs.

Dive Insight:

Trainor’s appointment indicates a continuation of the Trump administration’s rigorous efforts against DEI initiatives in higher education. He is set to succeed Harmeet Dhillon, who was among several high-ranking DOJ officials who resigned following the Democrats’ control of Congress in the midterm elections.

Under Dhillon’s leadership, the civil rights division initiated extensive investigations into universities related to pro-Palestinian demonstrations and their admission policies, resulting in several prominent institutions negotiating agreements with the administration to conclude these inquiries.

The DOJ has also filed lawsuits against the University of California system, alleging inadequate responses to harassment faced by Jewish and Israeli students on its Los Angeles campus. Additionally, Harvard University was sued in February, demanding extensive admissions data, and again in March, a lawsuit sought to revoke its access to federal student aid. Both cases were dismissed by judges, but the department has since appealed the latter decision to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Recently, DOJ officials have intensified their efforts against practices aimed at fostering a diverse student body. To date, the investigations have led to allegations of racial discrimination against White and Asian applicants at ten medical and law schools.

Trainor has been a key proponent of policies aimed at diminishing DEI efforts within the educational landscape. As the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, he issued guidance in 2025 aiming to withdraw federal funding from educational institutions for reasons related to DEI practices, such as race-based scholarships and identity-focused graduation ceremonies.

Though federal courts have invalidated this guidance, the DOJ subsequently released broad directives that could endanger federal grants for practices identified as unlawful DEI initiatives. These include requirements for job candidates to submit diversity statements and the establishment of identity-based lounges, despite their open access.

In his recent position as the assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Trainor maintained a focus on similar anti-DEI measures. He issued warnings to educational institutions regarding the potential violations of federal law due to affinity housing arrangements.