Is Target ethical?

Target will cover employees' travel if they live in a state where abortion is banned, according to a company memo obtained by CNBC.

In May 2024, Target announced it would halt selling certain LGBT-focused merchandise while affirming its commitment to the “LGBTQIA+ community.”

Target's PAC donated a total of $249,900 to help Republicans get elected in 2022, according to OpenSecrets.

Target made its first-ever donation to a presidential inauguration this year, contributing $1 million to President Donald Trump's 2025 Inaugural Committee on January 10, according to a recent Federal Election Commission filing.

Target Donated $1 Million to Trump's Inauguration - Business Insider

Then, Target went beyond mere "business decisions" when it directly funded the current administration through its $1 million donation to Donald Trump's inauguration officially stating "We work with elected officials at all levels of government to provide the best retail experience for the more than 2,000 communities we're proud to serve", despite the fact that Target has never previously donated to an inauguration.

Then, Target went beyond mere "business decisions" when it directly funded the current administration through its $1 million donation to Donald Trump's inauguration officially stating "We work with elected officials at all levels of government to provide the best retail experience for the more than 2,000 communities we're proud to serve", despite the fact that Target has never previously donated to an inauguration.

Target has made major contributions to police foundations across the country, according to the report, including the NYC, Atlanta and Seattle police foundations.

A $200,000 donation from Target in 2007 helped the LA police foundation purchase sophisticated surveillance equipment for the LAPD, the report found.

Target in 2025 earned a score of 100 and was dubbed a “Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion,” an honor the retailer no longer seems interested in holding on to in 2026.

"Target is making a mistake by ending its DEI goals with its customer base being highly diverse," said Sylvester Turner, Congressman for Texas' 18th Congressional District, on X.

Target has faced backlash, particularly from activists and customers, due to its decision to roll back some of its DEI practices amid the Trump administration’s anti-DEI push, and a number of boycotts have roiled in-store foot traffic.

Just because Target is scaling back their DEI commitments doesn’t mean it is going to be ending relationships with businesses owned by people of color, Butler said.

Target wasn’t the only company to roll back DEI policies, but came under more pressure because it had more deeply ingrained diversity and inclusion programs into the core of its business.

Target wasn’t the only company to roll back DEI policies, but came under more pressure because it had more deeply ingrained diversity and inclusion programs into the core of its business.

With its decision to roll back DEI efforts, the cheap chic retailer Target joined Walmart, McDonald’s, Tractor Supply and a slew of others that scrapped at least some DEI initiatives as they grew concerned that the programs could alienate some customers or land them in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, who has vowed to end every DEI program across the federal government.

Target has logged 10 consecutive weeks of falling in-store traffic, which began shortly after the retailer rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Target also has seen customer backlash over its 2023 Pride month merchandise and more recently for scaling back its corporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Target was hit by boycott calls early last year after it moved to roll back its commitment to DEI hiring to keep pace with 'the evolving external landscape' (AP)

In January 2025, Target said it would stop participating in outside surveys related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, and shift its “supplier diversity” programs to what it called “supplier engagement.”

In September, AFT joined a nationwide call for consumers to boycott Target after the company rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on such programs.

Target CEO Brian Cornell sent a letter to employees defending the company's decision to make adjustments to its Pride collection in its stores while expressing support for the LGBTQ community.

The suit comes almost a month after Target scrapped some of its DEI policies following pressure on the right and President Donald Trump’s attempts to use the power of the federal government to roll back DEI in the private sector.

A week before Target decided to remove some of its LGBTQ+ pride merchandise following a backlash of some of its trans-friendly products, the company's CEO, Brian Cornell spoke out in praise of the retailer embracing diversity to make "good business decisions" and drive up sales.

Target has faced backlash from both ends of the political spectrum, starting when anti-LGBTQ activists criticized its 2023 Pride collection, leading the retailer to scale back Pride-related marketing and merchandise, and more recently when it dropped its supplier and workforce diversity programs.

Target and Anheuser-Busch — two companies at the center of high-profile protests this year related to LGBTQ+ rights — both submitted to scoring and received deductions from last year.