Whether you think Donald Trump is good or bad for the country, he is proving to be a world-historical figure whose personality and policies are changing the United States.
The changes Trump is making are far more dramatic in his second term than in his first, probably because there is less opposition from Republicans, and Democrats are dispirited, disorganized, and bereft of ideas. This has created an opening that Trump is fully taking advantage of.
From reforming the civil service and reshaping agencies like the Department of Justice, the Education Department, and the FBI, to initiating an aggressive tariff policy, enforcing immigration law, and bringing liberal universities to heel, Donald Trump is revolutionizing the way that the government works.
One area where Trump has instituted change is in gender policy, as he has taken on the very idea that gender ideology is legitimate.
His actions in banning transgender military personnel, preventing children from transitioning to another sex, and forcing the government to recognize the biological fact of only two genders have begun the slow process of unraveling the radical gender policies of Joe Biden that have penetrated many agencies and departments of the government.
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Leor Sapir, a co-author of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ report on gender dysphoria research, believes an inflection point has been reached.
“It has been a good year for getting more medical professionals to pay attention to the debate—and recognize it as a debate,” he said.
Sapir admitted that Trump’s rhetoric — see “transgender lunacy” — wasn’t necessarily helpful, but the truth is, he’s in line with what the majority of Americans, including Democrats, believe. “This seems to be one of the few areas in which Trump enjoys strong tailwinds,” he said. Most Americans don’t think minors should medically transition, or that males should compete against females in sports.
In 2025, the Supreme Court upheld states’ rights to ban youth medical transition, and will hear a case about sports early in 2026, which will likely go the same way. But, Sapir said, the big question is “what is going to happen in the blue states?” That’s because the Democratic political establishment continues to ignore the feelings of the average voter.
The pushback by blue states has been fierce, leading to the passage of several laws aimed at minors living in red states.
Many Democratic politicians have passed “sanctuary state” laws, which allow minors from states where gender medicine is banned to access it, and some states require that insurance companies cover these interventions. One possible future, Sapir said, is that “Democrats just underwrite the legal and financial risk”. This sets up a battle between state and federal governments that we’ll likely see intensify in 2026.
The debate over gender issues should not be a left-right issue, but it is. “Tribalism remains the most important factor,” said Sapir. Indeed, as long as the left and the media continue to frame the issue as a war between enlightened leftists and troglodyte conservatives, many leftists who might otherwise want to engage in debate are prevented from doing so, fearful that their side will crucify them
“The only way to break through groupthink,” Sapir said, is with “legacy, Left-of-centre media doing thorough journalism."
That won't happen, at least not right away. But other changes, like the ban on transgender surgery for minors and the requirement of parental notification, show that the debate is moving in the right direction.
