‘Death of DEI’: GOP senator expected to take victory lap against ‘wokeness’ in CPAC speech

EXCLUSIVE: Indiana Republican Sen. Jim Banks is set to deliver a speech to conservatives on Thursday declaring victory over “wokeness” and making the case that the “Golden Age of America” ushered in by President Trump will mean the “death” of DEI. 

“Despite how extensively DEI polluted our institutions, President Trump, with the swipe of his pen, dismantled this Marxist ideology from the halls of our government,” Banks, who founded the Anti-Woke Caucus during his time in the House, is expected to tell the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned. 

“DEI is the biggest threat to the American Dream, but the Golden Age of America means the death of DEI.”

Banks’ speech states that Democrats in the United States have attempted to “sabotage” institutions with “wokeness” as their “primary weapon” meant to “nuke” American culture while eroding society. 

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Sen. Jim Banks is set to address CPAC on Thursday afternoon and push back against “wokeness.” (Getty)

“Putting up a fight against this kind of poison requires courageous action,” Banks will say. “That’s exactly what President Trump has done.”

Since taking office, Trump has acted to fulfill campaign promise to remove DEI policies from the federal government that critics for several years have argued shift the focus away from meritocracy and, as a result, make the country less safe and less effective. 

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Sen. Jim Banks (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Included in those actions were executive orders in the early days of Trump’s presidency banning “radical gender ideology” and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives from all branches of the U.S. military.

In an executive order dubbed “Restoring America’s Fighting Force,” Trump stated that DEI programs have undermined “leadership, merit and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness” and have “violated Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.”

“Maybe most importantly, DEI has been uprooted from our military,” Banks will tell the crowd at CPAC. “Under Biden, our armed forces were wasting precious time and taxpayer resources running social experiments. Do you think China’s military is worried about filling diversity quotas and making sure everyone’s pronouns and delusions are respected?”

“No. As an Afghanistan veteran, I can tell you that diversity, in and of itself, provides no strategic advantage. In fact, holding up diversity as some sort of moral virtue is a deadly distraction. Under President Trump, we’re rightfully refocusing our military on lethality. Because that’s what keeps us safe.”

People demonstrate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in New York City, Jan. 4, 2024. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

Additionally, Trump’s partnership with Tesla CEO Elon Musk to slash waste with DOGE has resulted in DEI-related cuts in the federal government, including the Department of Education, which said last week it canceled nearly $350 million in “woke” spending.

The agency canceled 10 contracts with Regional Educational Laboratories (REL), totaling $336 million, after a review of the contracts uncovered “wasteful and ideologically driven spending not in the interest of students and taxpayers,” a news release stated. 

“The Education Department under President Trump has given schools 14 days to end any practice that treats students differently because of their race or lose federal funding,” Banks will say. “A huge blow to DEI and a massive win for our kids.”

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While Banks believes that Trump has “put his foot on the neck of woke and driven a stake through the heart of those who hate America,” he warns in his speech that Congress still has work to do on the issue and specifically railed against “weak Republicans on our side.”

“Congress needs to do its job and reinforce the successes that President Trump and his administration have accomplished,” Banks said. “We need legislation to codify and extend his transformative executive orders.”

“We have no time for wimpy Republicans. The New Right merges true conservatism with the interests of the people. President Trump and his administration boldly embody this new party.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report