RUTHFULLY YOURS

President Donald Trump’s executive orders forbidding transgender athletes from competing against females and eliminating so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government have been met with political opposition, outrage, and angry ridicule. But who’s winning the debate? Trump is, as the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.

In the most recent national online I&I/TIPP poll, taken from Mar. 26-Mar. 28, 1,452 adults were asked: “Do you support or oppose President Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports?”

It wasn’t close. Among those responding, 64% said they either “support strongly” (48%) or “support somewhat” (16%) the move, compared to the 24% who said they either “oppose strongly” (15%) or “oppose somewhat” (9%) Trump’s order.

Only 4% said they were “not familiar” with the order, while 7% answered they were “not sure.” The poll has a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points.

Of 36 major demographic groups followed each month by I&I/TIPP Poll, only two showed less than 50% support: Democrats (46% support, 43% oppose) and self-described “liberals” (39% support, 50% oppose).

By comparison, Republicans (88% support, 6% oppose) and independents (61% support, 25% oppose) showed overwhelming backing, as did every other major demographic category.

However, one intriguing gap exists between men and women. Men are 12 percentage points more likely than women to back Trump’s White House mandate (71% to 59%).

But the basic reality remains: A solid majority still supports Trump’s move.

That wasn’t the only executive order by Trump involving race, gender, or sexual identity. I&I/TIPP followed up with this question: “Do you support or oppose President Trump’s executive order eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in federal government agencies?”

On this question, Trump comes out ahead again, but by a much smaller margin.

Overall, 47% said they either supported the order “strongly” (32%) or “somewhat” (15%), while 39% opposed it “strongly” (29%) or “somewhat” (10%). Of those remaining, 7% said they weren’t “familiar with these efforts,” while 7% also answered they were not sure.

Again, politics matters.

Republicans’ opinions (80% support, 11% oppose) diverged from those of Democrats (20% support, 68% oppose) and independents (38% support, 43% oppose). So Republicans overwhelmingly support Trump’s order, Democrats overwhelmingly oppose it, and independents could best be described as ambivalent.

But those aren’t the only differences.

For instance, men (56% support, 32% oppose) are plainly from Mars, while women (38% support, 45% oppose) are from Venus, at least on this issue.

And there are some differences by race, as well.

Whites (51% support, 35% oppose) solidly favor Trump’s order, while black voters (32% support, 52% oppose) almost perfectly reverse that. Hispanics, however, are statistically nearly indistinguishable from white voters at 50% support, 38% oppose.

From these data, a number of questions arise: Are Americans reverting to their earlier traditional support for the idea of merit over identity in hiring, firing, and promoting within the federal government?

Are Americans moving back to the notion that some aspects of American life, including girls’ sports, are best left sex-segregated? Will they oppose the idea that there are 71 or more genders, not just two: male and female?

Looks that way. Under Trump, states and educational institutions are being told they cannot allow athletes born as men to compete with women in anything that gets federal funding. Period.

The justification? Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Women, it has been successfully argued, are discriminated against when biological men who claim female identity are allowed to compete against them. Men are, in general, larger and stronger than women.

This is not controversial, really: Britain’s Supreme Court has just ruled that the definition of a woman is a biological woman, not a person who self-identifies as a woman.

Even so, some states are fighting, most prominently Maine, which is now being sued by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who tweeted, “We are seeking to have the TITLES RETURNED to the women who rightfully won these sports. . .This is about these young women’s PERSONAL SAFETY … what they have been through is HORRIFIC.”

“These boys are allowed to go in women’s DRESSING ROOMS and get fully naked and change – biological boys – in front of these young women!”

Worse, schools and even doctors have mounted campaigns to encourage young kids to embark on a “life-affirming” sex-change journey in their lives, often without the consent or input of parents.

Unfortunately, medical studies show this is a disaster. One such study at the University of Texas looked at 107,583 patients 18 and over who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Some underwent surgery, other didn’t. It was damning.

The researchers “determined rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and substance-use disorders were ‘significantly higher’ among those who underwent surgery, assessed two years later. Males with surgery had depression rates of 25% compared to males without surgery (11.5%). Anxiety rates among that group were 12.8% compared to 2.6%.”

As for DEI, which has been forced on Americans by both private companies, education, and the government, things are also changing.

For one, government DEI programs are being dismantled. The scope of DEI within the federal government and agencies is enormous.

A report last month by the Functional Government Initiative and the Center for Renewing America found 460 programs in 24 government agencies that diverted resources to DEI initiatives during the previous administration, after Joe Biden signed Executive Order 13985 on his first day in office.

As the order said, it aimed at “advancing equity and racial justice through the federal government.”

The four-year cost of Biden’s DEI binge? At least “$1 trillion,” the report said, and possibly much more.

Meanwhile, companies including John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Toyota, Target, Jack Daniels, McDonald’s, Walmart, AT&T, Lowe’s, and Ford have found DEI to be a deadweight loss, alienating customers and contributors, and angering their own employees and investors.

A March report, similarly, found 33 universities around the country have axed DEI programs, which, ironically, have proved to be more divisive than having none at all.

The backlash has been severe. Author Stanley Ridgeley recently called DEI in higher education “a con.”

He wrote: “In fact, it was the biggest Con Story of the 21st century, with America’s universities the biggest suckers imaginable. And the crowning achievement of Western civilization — the modern university — tottered under the assault of mediocrity, racialism, and pseudoscience.”

As the I&I/TIPP Poll shows, DEI at nearly all levels is unpopular with ordinary Americans. If that doesn’t end it, nothing can.

I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past six presidential elections.

Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.