(This article originally appeared at https://humanevents.com/2025/09/05/shea-bradley-farrell-go-woke-go-broke-is-not-just-a-slogan-its-a-fact#google_vignette)

President Donald Trump is aggressively cutting “woke” programs, funding, and hiring practices in the United States, including in corporate America, dealing a death blow to the creeping globalist agenda of Klaus Schwab and his World Economic Forum (WEF).

Under a Trump executive order, U.S. government agencies are identifying companies that violate federal discrimination laws, including those related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. DEI policies entail disparate treatment in the terms, conditions, and privileges of employment if based on race, sex, or other protected characteristics –a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In practice, the rigid orthodoxy of DEI stifles hiring and employee morale, undermines hard work and unity, and strangles freedom and innovation.

DEI policies are “exclusive,” overlooking merit-based achievement by requiring hiring quotas of certain racial or other identity groups or giving preference to DEI-aligned suppliers. DEI policies divide employees into identity subgroups and place subgroup interests over the interests of the whole, such as elevating transgender bathroom choices over the privacy of other employees.

Feeling the pressure of Trump’s anti-woke agenda, companies such as Walmart, JPMorgan, Tractor Supply Co., Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Lowe’s, Ford, and even McDonald’s are walking back or eliminating their previous DEI and ESG policies. ESG or Environmental, Social, and Governance, promotes radical environmental policy and is like DEI in that it includes discriminatory programs like critical race theory in human resource practices and hiring policies based on race, sex, or other identity groups. They are also burdensome and costly to implement.

In 2019, unbeknownst to most Americans, close to 200 CEOs from America’s top companies chose to adopt the “stakeholder capitalism” of Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum. In a single statement, the purpose of American corporations was redefined with a globalist economic model, and American businesses became subject to the WEF practice of rating corporations based on ESG “performance” metrics.

Stakeholder capitalism (in reality, having very little to do with capitalism) is a theory promoted by Schwab since the early 1970s. It asserts that the corporate purpose is not to maximize profits for shareholders, but to maximize value for all stakeholders —including government agencies, community members, activist groups, non-profits, and companies.

This may sound like a lofty goal, but the practice of stakeholder capitalism is far from adequate, prosperous, or even fair. Asset management firms (like the infamous BlackRock) direct investment funds to companies with high ESG and DEI scores, ultimately using companies to shape society in the Leftist ideology of the elite echelon. Instead of acting in the interest of investors, employees, consumers, or shareholders, businesses are at the mercy of “stakeholder activism” to promote woke programming, products, and advertising.

This was a shockingly bad decision by Corporate America, considering that for generations American capitalism had “produced superior stock market returns and broad-based societal gains,” raising living standards for generations of Americans. Europe’s economies, primarily based on stakeholder capitalism for decades, and buried under bureaucracy, burdensome taxes, and extreme woke regulation, have been “largely stagnant” for about the last 15 years. Interestingly, Germany’s economy, which is firmly oriented on stakeholder governance, has only grown by 1% over the past 8 years, while the U.S. economy has grown by 19%.

Millions of Americans, too, are fed up with paying for the so-called “progressive” causes of powerful, out-of-touch corporate elites. Outraged consumers boycott and publicly lash out against companies that go off the woke deep-end, causing many to backtrack their woke ways.

Social media responses against Jaguar, which recently unveiled a bizarre rebranding that included “gender-fluid” models and a shift to all-electric vehicles (and a 97.5% collapse in European sales), were scathing and abundant. Not long before, Jaguar’s brand strategist had proudly announced the establishment of “more than 15 DEI groups” and a “transitioning at work” policy. President Trump called Jaguar’s public embarrassment “a total disaster;” others labelled it “Bud Light 2.0.”

Who could forget the disastrous fall of Bud Light, a company formerly catering to red-blooded Americans that actually believed a guy in a dress, makeup, and pearls could attract beer-drinking customers? Unsurprisingly, Bud Light’s transgender ad led to a boycott of America’s best-selling beer, resulting in a loss of billions of dollars in shareholder value and a 30% drop in sales and customers.

Recently, Target’s CEO stepped down, amid plummeting sales and years of ideological instability. Remember Target’s Pride Month 2023 display, with infant LGBTQ onesies and genitalia-tucking bikini bottoms for boys? Target’s CFO admitted that its “Pride assortment” impacted their bottom line, resulting in a $14 billion loss in Target stock at the time. Sales continue to be flat or falling.

Woke is under attack, and especially where it hurts most –right in the pocketbook. Yet, some companies refuse to learn.

This year, Disney laid off hundreds of employees after the release of its woke version of the movie Snow White, and an “underwhelming box office performance.” In 2023, Disney already laid off 7,000 employees after establishing an “openly gay agenda” in movies and theme parks, including a lesbian kissing scene in the supposedly family-friendly movie Lightyear. This year, Disney is also retreating from its extensive DEI agenda.

For millions of Americans, Cracker Barrel symbolizes Americana, family, goodness, and the essence of comfort food – one of the last remaining reflections of a purer time. But Cracker Barrel’s recent rebranding seemed to reject American cultural heritage, making customers angry. And Cracker Barrel, too, had jumped on the DEI bandwagon with LGBTQ Policies and a dedicated “Pride” website page (now deleted).

Oh, Cracker Barrel, why did you do it?

Corporate executives and leftist media are quick to assure the public that failures of woke companies are due to market shifts or “rapid” transformation of industry –but the timing and public outrage are hard to ignore. American consumers are angry about being told what to believe and how to think, especially when all they want (Starbucks) is just a freakin’ cup of coffee, not a sermon about a self-serving political agenda.

Woke corporatism can be a money-making racket for non-profits and activists. Big money is allocated to “evaluate” the “woke” levels of corporations using metrics based on DEI and ESG performance measurements. Corporations that choose not to comply receive a poor score and public embarrassment. Those that do comply are publicly praised and obtain a perfect “woke” score.

For example, each year at the World Economic Forum, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) reveals its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a made-up, needless measurement of “corporate America’s roadmap for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.” Based on an annual survey, the report gauges “policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employees.” HRC is funded by organizations such as George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and by businesses including Amazon, American Airlines, The Walt Disney Company, Apple, and many others.

HRC compels and pressures corporations into compliance to achieve a “perfect” index score. An impressive 1500 companies participated in this year’s CEI 2025. Major companies that earned a 100% score include Amtrak, Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Food Lion, PetSmart, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Starbucks, McDonald’s, Visa, CareFirst Inc., and many others.

Fortunately, the great “anti-woke pushback” has gained momentum in the United States, thanks to commonsense Americans and fueled by the leadership and anti-woke agenda of the Trump administration. This year, a “lengthy list” of companies, including the global fast-food giant McDonald’s, pledged to withdraw from the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. Major companies are rolling back DEI, and investment in ESG is on a steep decline in the U.S. and in Europe.

Finally, after years of ideological posturing and consumer blackmail, corporate elites are finding that “Go Woke, Go Broke” is not just a slogan.

Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D. is a strategist in national security and foreign policy in Washington, D.C. and president of Counterpoint Institute for Policy, Research and Education and a Senior Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a Washington, D.C. based think-and-do tank.. Her latest book is Last Warning to the West. Follow her at counterpointinstititute.org or “X” @DrShea_DC and @CounterpointDC.

This article first appeared on Human Events https://humanevents.com/2025/08/21/shea-bradley-farrell-trump-has-world-leaders-at-his-fingertips-in-his-fight-for-peace)

The recent White House peace summit between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and seven key European world leaders did not just pave the way for a lasting peace settlement in the Russia-Ukraine War — it firmly established Donald Trump as the most consequential and impactful President of the United States since FDR.

Reports that the seven world leaders came as “bodyguards” to “shield” Zelensky from an “unfair and perilous settlement” are laughable. No, the leaders of Europe – NATO, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Finland – were summoned by Trump to serve his pro-peace agenda and to be instructed by him. Their presence was contingent only on his approval. “When I made the call, they came,” Trump said. “They have respect for our country again … we’ve become the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

Photos of the European leaders in the Oval Office certainly didn’t shout “bodyguards” – but rather whipped subordinates slumping in chairs surrounding the boss’s desk, awaiting their instructions. Power play by Trump? Yes, and these “leaders” deserve it – not one in the past three and a half years tried to negotiate peace for a war in their backyard, not once. No, instead, they enabled and encouraged the war to continue.

Under their Russia-Ukraine policies, a million and a half Europeans have died, Ukrainian infrastructure is devastated, energy crises crippled Europe’s economy, and China and Russia are stronger allies. Instead of calling for peace, these European leaders have cynically used Ukraine and the war to fuel their failing “war economy.”

Indeed, the majority came to Washington, D.C., hoping to convince Trump to continue the war (through stringent NATO security guarantees to Ukraine, unacceptable to Putin) and to encourage Zelenskyy to keep fighting. Trump was diplomatic and courteous but maintained his strong position to bring an end to the war, with a compromise on both sides. Media portrayals of European leaders’ agency in “confronting Trump” are ridiculous and contaminated with lingering Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).

President Trump’s success at negotiations between Zelenskyy and Putin, though slower than desired (including by Trump himself), is historic and should be met worldwide with praise, relief, and gratitude.

Zelenskyy, who never came to D.C. before without asking for more weapons, more money, more war, actually said he now supports Trump bringing an end to the war through diplomacy. He is also willing for Trump to organize a trilateral meeting between him, Trump, and Putin, which the White House says Putin agreed to. All of these concessions were unthinkable, even a month or two ago.

Zelenskyy has even said he is open to “land swaps” to end the war, using current front-line borders (including Ukrainian territory captured by Russia since 2022) as the starting point. Amazing, considering Zelenskyy declared for more than three years that only a full Russian surrender of captured territory (including Crimea, taken in 2014) would be acceptable. Zelenskyy even seems to have given up his bid to enter NATO.

Finally, a path for peace has been forged, though it will take more time, patience, and negotiation to reach a final deal. Trump has gained the trust of both Zelenskyy and Putin, Putin having even acquiesced to meet on U.S. soil to discuss peace with Trump in Alaska, three days before the summit.

No one can predict the final outcome, but Trump’s current position is (1) Ceasefire is preferable to stop deaths, but negotiations will continue regardless. (2) The U.S. no longer is “giving anything” (having given at least $200 billion under former President Joe Biden). Still, it is selling the best military equipment on earth to Europe, to give to Ukraine as they wish. (3) Ukraine’s NATO membership is still off the table, but (4) the U.S. will back security guarantees for Ukraine (beyond the previous rare earth minerals deal) where Europe maintains “the first line of defense,” with no U.S. boots on the ground. Still to be hashed out is how close security guarantees will appear to NATO military operations (Zelenskyy wants weapons, training, intelligence, etc.), which will certainly be a sticking point for Putin. Trump sees U.S. security guarantees as necessary to “getting the deal done.”

Number (5) will be the hardest for those who still don’t understand the realities of Ukraine’s situation and what it will take to end the war: territorial concessions on both sides (including Ukraine, the non-aggressor yet “loser”) are likely. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that “both sides are going to have to give, and both sides should expect to get something.” Putin wants the “fortress belt” in the western part of Donetsk province that he failed to capture, but he is not likely to get it.

Less than one year ago, under Biden and in anticipation of a Kamala Harris presidency, the U.S. planned to support another Ukraine counteroffensive this year, having signed a commitment with Zelenskyy with fixed levels of support for ten years. Throughout the war, Biden sent more and more lethal weapons to Ukraine, escalating the war towards a worldwide disaster. No discussion of “peace negotiations,” just another American “forever war” draining America’s coffers without tangible benefit to actual American taxpayers.

Thankfully, Donald Trump has the wisdom and leadership strength to put a hard stop to anything not in America’s interest. He continues to hammer out a monument of accomplishments on a huge scale and with a rapid pace that infuriates and demoralizes the Left — all while restoring the firm foundation and hope of American greatness that the vast majority of Americans (and our allies) crave.

Dishonest portraits painted by the Left demonizing and downplaying Trump’s peace negotiations are especially ironic given that Trump had nothing to do with provoking this war; nor with former President Barack Obama giving Crimea to Russia, weakening Ukraine; nor with Biden promising Ukraine NATO membership against previous U.S. promises (which Trump warned him about); nor Biden signaling to Putin that a “minor incursion” would be acceptable. Yet as Trump said, “We wanna get it ended … we’re going to have a lasting peace.”

Trump has tirelessly worked to end the bloodshed in Ukraine and the bleeding of American taxpayer money while working to create peace in multiple international conflicts— Armenia-Azerbaijan, Cambodia-Thailand, Congo-Rwanda, India-Pakistan, Israel-Iran, and more. Even in his first eight months, Trump’s status as the World Leader is unparalleled, cementing him as an international figure of consequence and vision far beyond the years of his presidency.

But, as Trump says, speaking about the mainstream media: “the level of hatred and animosity is unbelievable … I’ve solved major wars… that have been going on for 35 and 37 [years] and a couple of quicker ones… but they don’t even write about that. No matter what I do … no matter what deal I make … they’ll say, ‘Trump was absolutely horrible.’ And I’ve lived with that for a long time.” He pauses to consider, “But I won in a landslide … so the people … are the only ones that count, ultimately.”

Over seventy-seven million people, Mr. President. Thank you for making the U.S.A. the greatest and “hottest” nation on earth, once again.

Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a Washington, D.C. based think-and-do tank.

(This article first appeared in Human Events: https://humanevents.com/2025/08/05/shea-bradley-ferrell-trump-the-disruptor-secures-america-first-trade-deal-with-eu)

As Trump rebalances America’s relationship with the European Union, European leadership will be forced to correct their self-destructive policies and stop taking America for granted.

Economic “threats” and “bullying” are how the mainstream media and the allegedly “informed” foreign policy establishment describe President Donald Trump’s recent trade deal with the European Union (EU). Bullying?

I guess it doesn’t matter that U.S. companies have been burdened for decades with a multitude of tariffs, barriers, and protectionist policies that keep U.S. goods out of European markets, or that the EU has a goods trade surplus with the U.S. of $236 billion, or that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen even said herself that the deal was necessary to “rebalance trade.” President Trump continues to deliver for “America First,” and his critics can’t stand it.

Trump is rectifying what decades of former Presidents would not. After years of slashing our own tariffs and trade barriers, all while paying the price (literally) for ever-increasing foreign protections against U.S. products, Trump is finally giving U.S. companies a level playing field. Besides handicapping U.S. companies and workers, the U.S. trade policies that first focused on rebuilding Europe after WWII, then on nurturing developing countries all over the world, created a U.S. global goods trade deficit—currently valued at $1.2 trillion (2024), the highest on record. The last time the U.S. even had a trade surplus was in 1975.

The EU has a significant surplus in trade with the U.S. in goods that are also made in America—like pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and motor vehicles and parts. Did Trump get the better deal with von der Leyen? Yes, he did. The U.S. will now impose 15% tariffs on most EU goods, including cars, but U.S. tariffs on the same goods will be zero.

Early on, von der Leyen played games with Trump and threatened even higher tariffs on the U.S instead of negotiating—and it backfired on her. Von der Leyen’s moves weren’t smart: the U.S. buys more exports from the EU than any of its trading partners, and the EU desperately needs U.S. markets.

This is particularly true, especially because Europe’s economy has been in steady decline—and it’s their fault. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Europe used to be 90% of America’s GDP, ten to 15 years ago, but has declined to only about 65% of U.S. GDP. As JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon remarked, “That’s not good.”

European bureaucracy, which seeks to regulate its citizens extensively, has created a tax system that is excessively expensive and fails to protect new workers or incentivize industry and innovation. Instead of fixing these problems, EU leadership focuses on building a collective “war economy” around the Russia-Ukraine war, which aims to keep the war going indefinitely.

In addition, Europe built its economy on cheap Russian energy. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia provided the EU with more than 50% of its solid fossil fuels (like coal), more than 25% of its crude oil, and 43% of its natural gas. But Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t a business partner you can count on and has repeatedly weaponized energy supplies to circumvent sanctions. In the first 9 months of the war, and even before it started, Putin strategically cut gas supplies to the EU and then shut down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, causing a severe European energy crisis—gas prices soared, inflation crippled state economies, workers lost jobs, and industries shut down.

Remember when Trump warned the Germans against reliance on Russian energy at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2018? German officials actually snickered and laughed at him. Von der Leyen’s agreement to purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy as part of the U.S.-EU trade deal is a big win for both sides, and so is her agreement to invest another $600 billion in U.S. companies.

Though some doubt their ability to do so, the EU will also purchase “hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment,” which can provide U.S. defense contractors with big business. At the same time, Europe gets the best military equipment in the world. And, perhaps it will also help them fulfill their NATO spending commitments.

Trump is challenging the global systems and disrupting the “status quo,” which blindly accepts that the U.S. will always pay higher tariffs than we impose and more than our fair share for NATO. Thanks to the disastrous policies of the Biden administration, the U.S. also, by far, bore the financial burden of the Ukraine war for three years.

As Trump rebalances America’s relationship with the European Union, European leadership will be forced to correct their self-destructive policies and stop taking America for granted. Hopefully, it will also push them toward a very serious restructuring of the EU’s economic and social welfare systems. The EU can no longer run a huge trade surplus over the U.S. while allowing its economy to be buried under bureaucracy, burdensome taxes, and woke regulations.

In the meantime, as part of the trade deal, the EU agrees to work with the U.S. to eliminate its heavy tariff and non-tariff barriers and protectionist policies, opening European markets to U.S. companies. U.S. barriers to some sectors have persisted for years “despite repeated efforts at resolution.” New markets can drive U.S. economic growth and add American jobs. Perhaps if the EU sticks to this agreement in good faith, Trump will eventually lower U.S. tariffs on EU goods.

Europe is our partner and ally, and U.S. trading goals should ultimately strengthen both Europe and our partnership. Countries like Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea are eager to tear us apart, destroy Western civilization, and weaken our collaborative security. But economic security and national security are closely linked, and these countries would also welcome U.S.-EU economic fragmentation.

In only a short time, Trump has used tariffs as a great diplomatic tool that leverages American economic power. He has refocused foreign aid and is building a foreign policy on ‘Peace Through Strength and Prosperity,’ at the same time reinvesting in American companies and our hardworking middle class. Don’t let the naysayers distract you— America is indeed headed toward a ‘Golden Age.’

Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D. is a strategist in national security and foreign policy in Washington, D.C. and president of Counterpoint Institute for Policy, Research and Education. She is a senior fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy, a Washington, DC-based foreign policy think tank. Her latest book is Last Warning to the West. Follow her at counterpointinstititute.org or on “X” @DrShea_DC and @CounterpointDC.