Donald Trump has California Democrats ‘on the run’ in trans rights debate | Opinion
President Donald Trump has weaponized transgender women competing in sports as a wedge issue and is beating Democrats with it because public opinion is divided enough to favor Trump. But are Democrats also failing to offer a compelling counterargument to the president? We saw this dynamic play out last week when California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas declined to talk to journalists after Democrats voted down two GOP bills that aimed to restrict the rights of transgender girls.
What followed was a damning KCRA video of Rivas all but running away with cameras in hot pursuit and his cell phone pressed to his ear. These events inspired a conversation between Bee Opinion Editor Marcos Breton and Bee Opinion writer Robin Epley.
Read our conversation below, detailing how an event in Sacramento was a microcosm of why Trump, on the national stage, and California Republicans in Sacramento have Democrats figuratively and literally on the run.
Why Donald Trump is ‘owning the libs,’ even in California
Marcos Breton: If someone asked me if Speaker Rivas cares about vulnerable people in California, I would say yes. But that’s not the issue here. We’re talking about how Republicans are beating Democrats in the art of politics and persuasion.
Robin Epley: I think Rivas had the right idea when he attended an April 1 hearing for two anti-trans bills. He stood up for transgender people. But Rivas lost the plot when he couldn’t answer any questions from journalists at the end. It completely undermined his message. And I think that’s typical of Democrats in this state right now. They line up a great run, but they fumble every time. It would be impressive if it weren’t so frustrating.
Breton: It’s the difference between how Democrats and Republicans present their issues to the public. Republicans are appealing to sentiment and emotions. Democrats are countering by deploying the levers of government they control. On April 1, they easily killed two anti-trans bills: Assembly Bill 89 sought to ban trans girls from playing sports on girls’ interscholastic sports teams. Assembly Bill 844 would have overturned a state law that allows students to use the locker rooms that match their gender identity.
Epley: Why can’t the Democrats just say, “Gender identity is a protected class, end of discussion. Let’s get back to the real problems”? This is such a contrived issue by Republicans looking to capitalize on fear — the one thing they do best.
You picked this fight, Speaker Rivas. Why are you running away?
Breton: To be fair, Speaker Rivas did say that at the April 1 hearing. While occasionally glancing down at prepared comments, he pointed out that the number of trans women competing in collegiate sports is microscopic. He said that since he was elected to the Assembly in 2018, none of his constituents have asked him about trans girls playing high school sports. He also said, “I’m not going to support a bill that takes away rights from a protected class of people. Gender identity is a protected class in California just like sex, race and age....I’m not going to sanction discrimination against LGTBQ Californians. Not now and not ever.” The Democrats could have killed these bills behind closed doors, but they wanted to have this fight in public, and good on them for doing so. But the fight doesn’t end when the hearing ends. You have to take questions. You have to be able to speak extemporaneously on issues, and that’s where Trump and California Republicans are “owning the libs.” Rivas won on April 1 because he had the numbers. But outside a tightly-controlled environment, he lost because he wouldn’t — and won’t — speak off script.
Epley: There’s no united front from the Dems on this. The issue was complicated by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent comments on his podcast. By agreeing with right-wing ideologue Charlie Kirk (in a frankly much-too-chummy conversation) that it was “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports, the leader of California Democrats permitted his party to waffle. What the public is seeing from state leadership right now sure feels like abandonment. Worse, it’s abandonment for the sake of… Who? What? The federal government? They gotta pick a side, and it’s starting to feel like the side that’s getting picked is not the people’s.
Breton: When I first heard Newsom’s comments about transgender kids in sports, I thought he was pandering solely to conservatives. But now I’m not so sure. The Pew Research Center is the gold standard for public opinion studies, and they have found that Americans have complex views on gender identity. Even among Democrats, there are enough opposing views to be significant. Does that mean that you forsake our transgender brothers and sisters because of polls? No. As we’ve seen in the last 30 years, views on issues such as gay marriage and the death penalty have changed considerably in California. Like you, I agree that Democrats should fight for transgender people. But fighting means being willing to take a risk and take a punch. Democrats are supposed to be the party of the common people, the underdogs. But the favorability ratings of Democrats nationwide are at record lows. Rivas said all the right things, but most people don’t follow Assembly hearings. Republicans are better at communicating in spaces where people can hear them. Prepared statements and mad dashes away from questions mean Trump and Republicans win the messaging fight every time.
The crazy reason California Democrats are so bad at politics
Epley: Look at the Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Tens of millions of dollars were spent, much in anti-trans ads, against candidate Susan Crawford, yet every single county in the state moved left from their 2024 presidential vote. The lesson is clear: When Dems stand by their values and stand by their base, they win.
Breton: Given that Democrats have supermajorities in the California Legislature, it sounds crazy to suggest they are bad at politics. But it’s true. I know Sacramento political consultants on both sides of the aisle who say California Democrats are terrible at politics because they haven’t had to be good at it. With Trump in the White House and a California GOP showing significant signs of life, they need to get better — and fast.
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
