From woke-ism to nationalism: Corporations are changing strategies in the Trump era
American businesses are realizing that it is very profitable to give consumers what they want rather than what they believe is socially correct.
What a difference an election makes.
Within days of Donald Trump securing the presidency in November 2024, America’s business, media, and tech landscapes underwent a seismic shift. Advertising messages were changed. Corporate policies were amended. Even major media outlets that have typically excluded alternative views announced changes in editorial policies.
In early 2025, the Los Angeles Times, long known for its progressive slant, announced changes to its news and editorial policies, signaling a retreat from its once uncompromising ideological bias. This shift suggests that even the most stalwart champions of the old guard are recalibrating to meet a public hungry for balance over bias.
Then, remarkably, the Washington Post’s owner Jeff Bezos weighed in, reportedly urging his editors to “focus on what unites us as Americans, not what divides us,” a stunning pivot for a paper known as a bastion of old-line liberalism. The editorial page will now focus on free market and human freedom.
In corporate America, national pride has replaced years of social justice-minded business strategies. The tides are turning away from divisive social engineering experiments as corporations are rediscovering what sells — not sanctimony, but patriotism.
After a decade of staying far away from anything to do with the Trump family, Amazon announced a $40 million deal to produce a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump. This is the same company that signed Barack and Michelle Obama to a multimillion dollar deal to produce preachy documentaries for the company.
Meta’s overhaul in January 2025 encapsulates this shift even more dramatically. The social media titan dropped its heavy-handed anti-free speech content moderation policies, elevated Trump ally and UFC chief Dana White to its board, reassigned its chief diversity officer and abandoned racial and gender diversity quotas for managers and suppliers.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg crystallized this ethos on Joe Rogan’s podcast—a platform that backed Trump—decrying the “culturally neutered” state of modern corporations.
“I think having a culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive,” Zuckerberg said. This isn’t just a rejection of wokeism; it’s an embrace of an unapologetic American spirit. Meta’s moves reflect a company realigning with a nation tired of being lectured to.
This renewed business strategy of focusing on American pride is popping up everywhere.
In February 2025, Dentsu Entertainment partnered with the PGA of America and producer John Cohen to launch an animated film franchise centered around golf. Golf—an enduring symbol of American leisure, tradition, and aspiration—offers a perfect canvas for celebrating national identity. The ever-perceptive Dentsu — a company that,
unlike the other ones mentioned in this column, never seemed interested in latching onto polarizing messaging— is now leaning hard into this America First cultural moment. Its CEO, Hiroshi Igarashi, a master at spotting and monetizing trends, recently projected increased margins. His vision underscores a broader truth — betting on American exceptionalism pays off.
The death knell for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives further proves the point. Walmart, for instance, has stopped factoring race and gender into supplier contracts, ended racial equity training, and cut funding for the Center for Racial Equity—a $100 million pledge born of the George Floyd protests.
McDonald’s followed this last week, scrapping percentage goals for women and non-white managers, ditching supplier DEI pledges, and rebranding its diversity team as the “Global Inclusion Team.”
Both companies framed these shifts as responses to “an evolving landscape,” but their actions speak louder: DEI’s artificial mandates are out, and a broader, more authentic sense of belonging is in. Walmart’s statement nailed it: “We are willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.” That’s not retreat—it’s renewal.
These changes are good for business. Consider these examples.
When Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in June 2023, it sales dropped 31 % in one week. By contrast, rival Yuengling continued to promote its heritage and increased its market share by 25%.
Nike’s 2018 social justice-heavy ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick dropped its market cap by $3 billion, while New Balance – with its frequent “Made in the USA” branding, has consistently gained market share.
How about the NFL? The league took a viewership beating when it pivoted to wokeism in 2020. When it began to focus more heavily on Salute to Service and national unity themes, it rebounded, with record-breaking Super Bowl viewership numbers in 2023 and 2024.
For too long, corporate America bent over backward to appease a vocal, politicized minority, alienating the silent majority in the process. Overnight, Donald Trump’s election seems to have reminded businesses that their customers crave unity, not division, pride, or guilt.
The pivot away from wokeism isn’t about exclusion; it’s about rediscovering a shared identity that sells well to consumers. Amazon’s Melania documentary, Meta’s cultural reboot, Dentsu’s golf gambit, and the dismantling of DEI dogma all point to the same conclusion: America is back, and patriotism is good for business.
Trump didn’t just win an election; he sparked a corporate renaissance. And that’s a development worth cheering.
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