Trump’s Stance on Transgender Issues During the Election
As a foreboding glimpse into the future, supporters of President-elect Donald Trump resurfaced a video statement on X that he made last year regarding transgender rights. In this video, he made a bold pledge to withdraw federal funding for programs that endorse the concept of gender transition at any age. Additionally, he vowed to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, asserting that any hospital that performs gender-related surgeries on young individuals would be removed from Medicare and Medicaid eligibility.
Trump also promised to cut federal funds to educational institutions that suggest to children they might be “trapped in the wrong body.” Furthermore, he aimed to introduce legislation that would prevent biological males from participating in women’s sports. This was not an isolated statement; throughout his campaign, Trump consistently articulated his intentions on this contentious issue.
During the critical final weeks of the election, Republican campaigns invested over $65 million in advertisements that mocked candidates like Kamala Harris for their support of “taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners” and “illegal immigrants.” These ads often concluded with variations of a striking tagline: “Kamala Harris is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”
At various campaign events, Trump vehemently criticized the notion of allowing transgender girls and women to compete on female sports teams. He painted a vivid picture of parental concern, suggesting that children were undergoing gender surgeries without their parents’ knowledge. “Can you imagine being a parent and your son leaves the house?” he questioned at a rally in Wisconsin. “You say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day at school,’ and your son returns home after a brutal operation?”
This aggressive focus on transgender issues, despite it being a topic affecting a relatively small demographic, raises questions about its strategic importance compared to the major voter concerns like immigration, the economy, crime, abortion, and the integrity of democracy. However, it appears that this approach was effective; according to a leading super PAC supporting Harris, viewers shifted 2.7 percentage points in favor of Trump after viewing one of these impactful advertisements.
