Trump Targets DEI & Gender Policies | 1.25.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary: "Trump Targets DEI & Gender Policies | 1.25.25"

Release Date: January 25, 2025
Host: John Bickley and Georgia Howe
Guest: Kristen Wagoner, President and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom

---

Introduction to the Episode

In this compelling episode of Morning Wire, hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe delve into President Donald Trump's ambitious agenda, specifically focusing on his recent executive actions targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and gender identity policies. The episode features an in-depth conversation with Kristen Wagoner, the President and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a prominent legal organization spearheading efforts against what they describe as problematic gender and DEI policies.

---

Trump's Ambitious Agenda and Executive Actions

John Bickley opens the discussion by highlighting President Trump's immediate actions upon his return to office, emphasizing his commitment to reversing the previous administration's policies on gender identity and DEI.

"President Trump has returned to office with an extremely ambitious agenda and has immediately taken executive action to jumpstart what he's promising will be a transformative year for the nation." (00:03)

Kristen Wagoner expresses enthusiasm about Trump's promises, particularly his reference to a "revolution of common sense" aimed at restoring reality and the rule of law.

"He referred to that in his inaugural speech, that we are going to return back toward reality, toward common sense and the rule of law." (01:33)

Wagoner elaborates that Trump's administration intends to use federal power to eliminate what they view as a toxic ideology impacting American safety, opportunities, and freedoms.

---

Focus on Gender Identity Policies

The conversation shifts to gender ideology, a central focus for both ADF and the Daily Wire. Wagoner outlines the Trump administration's executive orders aimed at redefining sex in federal law to align with biological definitions, rejecting the notion that sex is "chosen or changed."

"All of those come together to essentially restore the legal and scientifically sound definition of sex in federal law, meaning that we are created male and female and that sex is neither chosen nor changed." (02:16)

She discusses the far-reaching implications of these policies, including:

• Women's Rights in Sports: Ensuring fairness by maintaining gender divisions based on biological sex.

• Privacy Protections: Safeguarding privacy in locker rooms, dormitories, and showers.

• Educational Impact: Influencing what children are taught regarding gender identity.

• Legal and Social Ramifications: Addressing concerns related to free speech, parental rights, and institutional funding tied to DEI compliance.

Wagoner provides specific examples of how the Biden administration's progressive gender ideology has permeated schools and organizations, affecting female athletes, students' free speech, and parental decision-making.

---

Federal vs. State Dynamics

John Bickley raises concerns about state-level resistance, particularly referencing states like California that may oppose the federal administration's policies.

"Do we expect to still see states like California undermine this effort?" (03:52)

Wagoner acknowledges the likelihood of continued pushback from certain states but emphasizes that the federal government's stance provides a robust foundation for legal challenges. She points out that the executive orders empower the federal government to withhold funding from institutions that do not adhere to the newly defined gender policies, thereby enforcing compliance.

"The power of the federal government in all of the places that it shows up, is actually on the opposite side of this fight." (04:01)

---

Legal Implications and Progress

The discussion progresses to the legal landscape surrounding gender ideology. Wagoner highlights ADF's decade-long efforts in this arena, noting incremental progress in court rulings related to bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports.

"On the sports front, I think we're turning the page. But again, we have half of the states that have adopted laws to protect women and girls in sports, as an example, and these are state laws those are being challenged and argued that they are unconstitutional." (05:54)

She expresses optimism that the federal government's clear stance against gender ideology will strengthen legal challenges against state laws that ADF deems unconstitutional.

---

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives

Transitioning to DEI, John Bickley inquires about the Trump administration's actions to dismantle DEI programs.

"What kinds of actions from Trump are we seeing there, and what do we expect in the coming years?" (07:04)

Kristen Wagoner explains that the executive order targeting DEI aims to remove these programs from federal policies, viewing them as attempts to socially engineer gender, ideology, and race within American institutions.

"DEI essentially is an attempt to socially engineer gender, ideology, and race into every facet of American life." (07:04)

She underscores the administration's rationale that DEI initiatives introduce legal risks, undermine merit-based advancement, and erode national unity.

---

Cultural Shifts and the Intersection of Politics

The conversation shifts to the broader cultural implications of the administration's policies. John Bickley emphasizes the importance of shaping culture alongside political actions.

"Politics being downstream of culture, and that we have to not only fight against forces cramming down dangerous policies, but we have to build and shape culture." (07:42)

Wagoner concurs, noting the symbiotic relationship between law and culture. She commends the Daily Wire for its role in advocating for biological realities and its impact on public perception and legal principles.

"The principle that you're establishing in the court before the Supreme Court or principle you're establishing in a state or a federal law, it has to be plausible to the American people. It has to make sense to them." (08:02)

Wagoner credits media outlets like the Daily Wire for their fearless and clear communication, which she believes is crucial for the success of their legal and cultural battles.

---

Administration's Broader Priorities and Global Impact

In the final segment, John Bickley asks about other priorities of the Trump administration beyond DEI and gender policies.

"What else are you seeing in terms of this new administration's priorities?" (08:58)

Kristen Wagoner identifies a unifying theme in Trump's agenda: combating what he perceives as authoritarianism domestically and internationally. She highlights key areas including:

• Immigration and Border Control: Reinforcing national sovereignty and addressing border security.

• Judicial Reforms: Preventing the "weaponization" of the justice system against political opponents.

• Censorship: Prioritizing the fight against what the administration views as oppressive censorship policies.

Wagoner emphasizes the global attention on the U.S. administration, suggesting that international observers are hopeful and supportive of Trump's efforts to restore inalienable rights and common-sense governance.

"The entire world is watching right now, and they are rooting for Americans and for President Trump to turn the corner on a moment throughout the world that wants to return to the concept of inalienable rights, that wants to return to the rule of law and to a government that recognizes common sense values." (09:09)

---

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, John Bickley reflects on the significant changes introduced by the Trump administration and expresses optimism for the future.

"There's massive anticipation heading into this week and now very high hopes for what's ahead." (10:12)

Kristen Wagoner reaffirms her support and confidence in the administration's ability to fulfill its promises, closing the discussion on a note of determined optimism.

"Thanks for having me." (10:19)

---

Key Takeaways

• Federal Reversal of DEI and Gender Policies: The Trump administration is actively rolling back DEI initiatives and redefining gender identity policies to align with biological definitions of sex.

• Legal and Cultural Battlefronts: Alliance Defending Freedom is pivotal in challenging state laws that support progressive gender ideologies, leveraging federal support to strengthen legal arguments.

• Impact on Education and Athletics: New policies aim to protect women's rights in sports and ensure privacy and safety in educational institutions, countering previous progressive mandates.

• Federal Authority vs. State Resistance: While certain states may resist federal orders, the administration's ability to control funding and legal backing aims to mitigate opposition.

• Broader Agenda Against Authoritarianism: Beyond DEI and gender policies, the administration is focused on immigration, judicial reforms, and combating censorship, with a global audience watching closely.

---

This episode of Morning Wire offers a detailed exploration of the Trump administration's strategies to reshape federal policies on DEI and gender identity, emphasizing the legal challenges and cultural shifts underway. Through insightful dialogue with Kristen Wagoner, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing battles and the implications for the future of American governance and societal norms.

Transcript

[President Trump]

President Trump has returned to office with an extremely ambitious agenda and has immediately taken executive action to jumpstart what he's promising will be a transformative year for the nation. Among the issues he's already begun to address is reversing the Biden administration's policies on gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion.

[John Bickley]

In this episode, we sit down with the president of Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal group that has been leading the charge on gender and DEI cases, to discuss Trump's actions and cultural shifts on the issues. I'm Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Saturday, January 25th, and this is a weekend edition of Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

This episode is brought to you by Good Ranchers tired of mystery meat at the grocery store? Make new meat your New year's [e-mail] subscribe now using Code Wire to get $25 off free express shipping and your choice of add ons for an entire year. Good Ranchers American meat delivered.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now to discuss Trump's executive action on gender and DEI is Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Kristen Wagoner. First of all, thank you so much for coming on.

[Kristen Wagoner]

Thanks for having me.

[John Bickley]

I wanted to start big picture. We just witnessed a historic, on so many levels, inauguration, the biggest political comeback in American history. It's now complete in terms of the larger issues that your organization in particular is really concerned with. What does this mean for the future of the country in the coming four years?

[Kristen Wagoner]

We're thrilled with the promises that President Trump has made with regard to the revolution of common sense. He referred to that in his inaugural speech, that we are going to return back toward reality, toward common sense and the rule of law. And I think what it means for practical purposes is that he is intending to use the federal government to ensure we eradicate a toxic ideology that has wreaked havoc on Americans both in terms of safety, opportunities and freedom.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, let's unpack that. I know that gender ideology has been a key priority for your group. The Daily Wire has also been focused very heavily on this issue. What are we seeing coming from the Trump administration on gender related policies?

[Kristen Wagoner]

The Trump administration has issued a number of executive orders that deal with gender identity as well as censorship and DEI in the federal government. And all of those come together to essentially restore the legal and scientifically sound definition of sex in federal law, meaning that we are created male and female and that sex is neither chosen nor changed. And that will have tremendous implications both on women's rights with regard to sports, fairness, privacy, locker rooms Also what our children are being taught. And in numerous other areas, the Biden.

[John Bickley]

Administration aggressively pushed progressive gender ideology. How much has that impacted schools, local organizations? How pervasive has this actually been?

[Kristen Wagoner]

Well, at Alliance Defending Freedom, we have represented scores of female athletes that have been deprived not only of fairness on the athletic field, but also privacy in locker rooms, in dorm rooms, in showers, and safety. We also have represented students who have been deprived of free speech and counselors and teachers who have been compelled to use pronouns that don't reflect biological truth. We have represented parents who have been deprived of decision making authority for kids and teachers, deprived of conscience rights. And we've even seen schools that have been deprived of certain funding mechanisms because of this ideology. President Trump has issued an order telling the agencies in the executive branch that they must stop infusing all of these areas of federal law with this notion that we are created something other than male or female.

[John Bickley]

Do we expect to still see states like California undermine this effort? Or are there federal levers that can be used to push back against these attempts to cram down this ideology?

[Kristen Wagoner]

I guarantee you you'll see states like California, New York, Washington state try to undermine these executive orders. And because of the way that our system of government is set out, there will be bad states that will continue to try to undermine the rights of American citizens, and there will be litigation that continues. But the difference here is they can no longer say that federal law requires this in terms of the agency action. And now the power of the federal government in all of the places that it shows up, is actually on the opposite side side of this fight. And in addition, the Trump administration can go a step further, and it can deprive institutions as well as state governments of federal funding when they refuse to recognize biological reality and common sense.

[John Bickley]

From a legal perspective, does the federal government, coming out so heavily against this ideology, does that further expose these sort of local entities, the school boards, et cetera, to legal ramifications for promoting something that could be seen as dangerous or unfair to women and girls?

[Kristen Wagoner]

It should do so assuming that the administrative agencies are putting teeth in these actions. So, again, the way that the government works is the executive branch. The president sets the agenda and tells the agencies what to do, and it's the agencies then that create the guidance and enforce what the President has said in federal law. So it will be critical that the agencies follow this direction and put real teeth into this by denying federal funding and by going after those states and those educational institutions that are not honoring the rights of Americans in this Area.

[John Bickley]

Now, Alliance Defending Freedom has been fighting on this front for a while now. Are you guys seeing progress, generally speaking, in terms of the legal arguments against gender ideology?

[Kristen Wagoner]

We are seeing progress, but there still is an uphill battle. My hope is that we're turning the corner on this issue. We've been fighting it for over 10 years now with regard to bathrooms, locker rooms, and more recently, eight or so years. On the sports front, I think we're turning the page. But again, we have half of the states that have adopted laws to protect women and girls in sports, as an example, and these are state laws those are being challenged and argued that they are unconstitutional. So those cases will continue, but we will continue now to have the federal government on the side of women and girls rather than against us. I also think we can't possibly underestimate the importance of the federal government saying there are two sexes and that you cannot choose nor change biological reality, because that will play out in many different ways across the government, and it will stop the social engineering that we've been seeing that's happening through the power of the federal government.

[John Bickley]

Now, you mentioned at the top that DEI is a big part of what the Trump administration is trying to weed out. That's something the Biden administration heavily focused on in a way we've never seen before. What kinds of actions from Trump are we seeing there, and what do we expect in the coming years?

[Kristen Wagoner]

The executive order that President Trump issued on DEI is so critical because it removes DEI from federal government policies. And he was right to do so, because DEI essentially is an attempt to socially engineer gender, ideology, and race into every facet of American life. And the very first step to take that back and to, as President Trump said, have a revolution of common sense is to again, rid the government of DEI programs, because it's a proven failure. It introduces risk, legal risk, it eliminates people advancing on the basis of merit, and it destroys unity, which President Trump has said is a high priority for him.

[John Bickley]

Now, we at the Daily Wire are very interested in the intersection of politics and culture. We're very much believers in politics being downstream of culture, and that we have to not only fight against forces cramming down dangerous policies, but we have to build and shape culture. How have cultural shifts influenced the issues of gender and dei?

[Kristen Wagoner]

They've been profoundly impactful. I would say that law and culture work together. You can't have one without the other, and one doesn't necessarily lead the other, but they both impact one another. And so I would just say, especially the work that the Daily Wire has done has been so critical in our efforts as an example on the gender identity front, because the principle that you're establishing in the court before the Supreme Court or principle you're establishing in a state or a federal law, it has to be plausible to the American people. It has to make sense to them. And Daily Wire, for example, has been one of the first that has come out and spoken clearly, succinctly and without fear, with courage. On the importance of biological reality. When the law doesn't recognize the biological differences between men and women, families get hurt. And most importantly, women and girls will suffer not only equal opportunity from equal opportunities, but they will lose their rights.

[John Bickley]

Final question. We've seen a flurry of activity from the Trump administration and is opening salvo on reshaping the federal government. What else are you seeing in terms of this new administration's priorities?

[Kristen Wagoner]

I think of all of the priorities that he set out, they come back to one primary theme, which I would say is he's recognizing the stifling authoritarianism that we've seen at home here in the United States and that we're witnessing abroad. Members of our international team have also said, you know, the entire world is watching right now, and they are rooting for Americans and for President Trump to turn the corner on a moment throughout the world that wants to return to the concept of inalienable rights, that wants to return to the rule of law and to a government that recognizes common sense values. So whether that's on immigration and what's happening at the border, whether it's weaponization of the federal government and the justice system against one's enemies, as we have seen to censorship, which President Trump has said is a high priority for him to stop. The world is watching. And what is most important now is what happens next. And I think the whole world is cheering for him and his administration to follow through on its promises in these areas.

[John Bickley]

Well, there's massive anticipation heading into this week and now very high hopes for what's ahead. Kristen, thank you so much for talking with us.

[Kristen Wagoner]

Thanks for having me.

[John Bickley]

That was Kristen Wagoner, CEO and president of Alliance Defending Freedom. And this has been a weekend edition of MORNING wire.