Of course this comment is mostly ironic, but noting for the whole class, when the MAGA talked about DEI they only ever meant ethnic and sexual minorities, competence be damned!
That is of course the thing about ideologies like it: loyalty before all else.
DEI at its worst is exactly what you say. (At its best, it's "we hire for abilities, but we also look for abilities in non-traditional people".
But, even though that's what DEI can be, not all "someone got a git not because of ability" is DEI. Cronyism, racism, and sexism all do that, too.
In the case of this administration, I think the traditional term is "yes men" - people who are hired not for ability, but because they will not say no to the boss.
DEI is basically “someone else got a gig not because of their abilities but because _____”
The entire Trump administration, every single person, is a DEI hire.