The near-entirety of Trump’s speech consisted of elaborate (and not-so-elaborate) attempts to troll Democrats. How did “owning the libs” become a substitute for anything resembling a legislative agenda? Presumably, it will get old eventually. But it also speaks to a genuine anger and frustration many Americans felt during the Biden era on cultural flash points such as gender identity and so-called wokeness, themes that Trump homed in on with relish. He spoke at length about the need to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, for instance.
Some of the cultural shifts promoted by liberals during “
the great awokening” did indeed go too far. It shouldn’t be too controversial to say that at this point. Minorities in America tend to be more socially conservative than White liberals, and left-wing cultural commitments — particularly on gender identity — did, in fact, alienate Hispanic, Black, Asian and Arab voters (and voters more generally).
On transgender issues, Trump is mostly aligned with public opinion. According to a
New York Times-Ipsos poll, 71 percent of Americans oppose prescribing hormone therapy or puberty-blocking drugs to anyone younger than age 18. Meanwhile, only 18 percent — including just 31 percent of Democrats — believe transgender female athletes should be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
But the question remains: What exactly was the point of relitigating such grievances?
you couldn’t make this stuff up
