Nike faces heat from Trump administration over alleged discrimination claims against white workers

Nike is facing scrutiny from the Trump administration over claims that it discriminated against white workers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency that enforces laws against employment discrimination.

The EEOC under the Trump administration on Wednesday filed a court motion to compel Nike to produce records dating back to 2018, after claiming that Nike had not provided sufficient information for the federal agency to carry out its investigation, which began in 2024.

Case against Nike

The case against Nike stems from a 2024 charge sought by current EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who was then a Republican commissioner with the agency. Lucas has long criticised diversity and inclusion policies, terming them potentially discriminatory, AP reported.

The disclosure against Nike comes nearly two months after Lucas shared a media post, urging white men to come forward if they have ever experienced race or sex discrimination at work. Lucas's post also asked eligible workers to reach out to the federal agency.

EEOC's court filing

According to the EEOC’s court filing, the agency is investigating systemic allegations of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)- related intentional race discrimination. It alleges that Nike may have engaged in a pattern or practice of disparate treatment against its white employees, applicants, and training programme participants in hiring, promotion, demotion or separation decisions, including selection for layoffs; internship programmes; and mentoring, leadership development, and other career development programmes.

It further said that when the apparel and sportswear giant failed to produce all the information sought by the subpoena, the agency filed an enforcement action in court.

The probe focuses on whether Nike violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It focuses specifically on the sneaker manufacturer's aim of boosting the representation of racial and ethnic minorities by 2025 to at least 30 per cent of U.S. employees at the director level and above, and to at least 35 per cent of its entire U.S. corporate workforce.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from using race as a criterion for hiring or making other employment decisions.

The case against Nike is the EEOC's first since Trump took office in January 2025, and since the commencement of his second term, he attacked diversity initiatives, stating that they amount to "reverse discrimination."

According to Bloomberg, citing Nike's data to the EEOC, between 2020 and 2021, the sportswear and apparel giant experienced the most noticeable shift in its hiring of non-White workers among the largest companies.

Nike's response

Calling the enquiry a "surprising and unusual escalation", Nike rebutted the claims, saying it was "committed to fair and lawful employment practices." In a statement, the company said, "We believe our programs and practices are consistent with those obligations and take these matters seriously. We will continue our attempt to cooperate with the EEOC and will respond to the petition."

Elaborating further, the sportswear giant said it shared over thousands of pages of information, along with detailed written responses to the federal agency's inquiry, and added that it is in the process of giving additional information.

Other companies targeted by the EEOC

Nike appears to be the highest-profile company that the agency has targeted with a publicly confirmed investigation. However, in November 2025, it issued a similar subpoena against financial services provider Northwestern Mutual.

Trump administration's stance on DEI

Days after taking office, Trump signed executive orders that aimed to end DEI programs within the federal government. During his inauguration speech on 20 January, Trump said his administration will "forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based." He also revoked the 1965 order, which mandated equal employment opportunities for all.