Trump and Vance Put Anti-Trans Attacks at Center of Closing Argument

Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on transgender rights by casting the group as a perceived threat to national identity.
The former president and Republican nominee is accused of leveraging inflammatory language and misleading claims to rally support, particularly among his base.
With campaign spending soaring into the tens of millions, Trump and affiliated political action committees are targeting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris over her support for transgender rights, echoing his confrontational rhetoric at rallies.
Recent events have featured a controversial video mocking transgender individuals and their military roles, often met with enthusiastic jeers from audiences.
At a rally at Madison Square Garden, Trump declared, “We will get … transgender insanity the hell out of our schools, and we will keep men out of women’s sports,” igniting fervor among the crowd of over 20,000.
JD Vance, Trump’s running mate also said during a podcast appearance that some white teenagers might identify as transgender to gain an edge in college admissions, a comment that plays into conservative grievances regarding affirmative action and social equity programs.
While immigration often takes center stage in Trump’s messaging, his increasing focus on LGBTQ issues in recent days appears aimed at galvanizing his core supporters and appealing to moderate voters.
Harris, meanwhile, has largely refrained from engaging directly with Trump’s provocations but has countered his mischaracterizations.
In a Fox News interview, she reminded viewers that the policy enabling U.S. military personnel to access gender-affirming care was established during Trump’s administration. “I will follow the law,” Harris stated, highlighting that these medical procedures were available under the prior administration.
On the podcast “The Breakfast Club,” she further criticized Trump’s attacks, noting that the number of service members seeking gender-affirming surgeries is minimal compared to the millions at risk of losing health insurance if Republicans succeed in dismantling the Affordable Care Act.
Public opinion on transgender rights is divided. A Gallup poll reveals that while 51 percent of Americans view changing one’s gender as morally wrong, about 60 percent oppose legislation banning medical treatments for transgender individuals.
Civil rights advocates express concern at what a second Trump administration could mean for LGBTQ rights, arguing that his campaign rhetoric already poses risks to the safety and security of transgender people.
Trump has promised to advocate for legislation affirming only two genders and to prohibit hormonal or surgical interventions for transgender minors nationwide.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, condemned Trump’s tactics as harmful to vulnerable populations. “Why are we debating trans people’s medical care?” she asked. “It’s a reflection of a broader lack of understanding and empathy.”
Since September, Trump’s campaign has aired approximately $35 million worth of ads focusing on past statements by Harris regarding medical care for transgender inmates.
These commercials frame her policies as radical, asserting that they undermine American values.
Trump’s rhetoric continues to resonate with his supporters, who often echo his claims about a “woke” military and cultural crisis, with speakers at his rallies reinforcing the narrative that traditional American values are under siege.
This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press