US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s administration ordered that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave by 5pm today and eventually be made redundant.

The moves follow an executive order Mr Trump signed on his first day back in office ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s DEI programmes that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners.

The President has called the programmes “discrimination” and insisted on restoring strictly so-called “merit-based” hiring.