Costco is emerging as a high‑profile test case for whether Big Business can buck President Donald Trump’s crackdown on corporate diversity—and still win with investors and shoppers alike. While rivals like Target and Walmart have moved to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in response to political and legal pressure from Washington, Costco has largely held its course—and its business is thriving.
Over the past year, Costco’s board and chief executive Ron Vachris have repeatedly and publicly reaffirmed the warehouse chain’s DEI commitments, even as the Trump administration has turned such programs into a political target. The day after returning to the White House, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to investigate DEI efforts at major public companies and large nonprofits, warning of potential legal action against firms whose programs are deemed discriminatory. That order triggered a wave of retreats across corporate America.
