The Trump administration has ordered certain French companies with US government contracts to comply with the executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. This directive extends American policy to European businesses, potentially affecting their corporate practices.

Companies have received a questionnaire titled "Certification Regarding Compliance With Applicable Federal Anti-Discrimination Law." Reuters has reviewed this document. The requirement comes amid growing economic and political tensions between the United States and Europe following Trump's election on his "America First" platform.

The directive has created questions about how targeted companies might need to change their practices given the different approaches to diversity between the US and France. While American companies have typically tracked race and ethnicity data and set diversity targets, French law restricts such data collection due to the country's secular approach.

The compliance demands follow Trump's broader pattern of leveraging economic policy to advance multiple agendas. Last week, the president suggested offering China "a little reduction in tariffs" if Beijing approves ByteDance's sale of TikTok's US operations, linking trade policy to national security concerns about the popular app.

French business daily Les Echos first reported on Friday that the US embassy in Paris had sent these compliance requests. According to Le Figaro, the letter states: "Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunities, signed by President Trump, applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US Government, regardless of their nationality."

Companies must complete and sign the document in English within five days. Those unwilling to sign must provide detailed reasons, which will be forwarded to US legal services.

The companies receiving these letters do not appear to have been selected based on their US presence. A source confirmed that France's state-controlled telecoms group Orange, which has no operations in the United States, received the letter. However:

• Defense electronics firm Thales did not receive the letter
• Oil major TotalEnergies also did not receive it
• Orange declined to comment on the matter

An embassy spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked for comment about the situation.