Trump Admits Targeting Transgender Kids For Political Gain
On Monday, June 12, Donald Trump spoke at the North Carolina Republican Convention where he rallied his supporters and outlined his hopes to cut “transgender insanity” around youth.
In an op-ed for Advocate Channel Max Seavey wrote that it has long been understood that the conservative far-right are running a scare campaign against the LGBTQIA+ community by means of transgender vilification – and Trump has admitted as much.
The Conservatives playbook
Trump personifies the new iteration of the GOP and politicians who oppose social progress and use fear tactics to motivate their base. The same can be said of politicians like Marjorie Taylor-Green and Ron DeSantis; but Trump once sat in the highest office in the US and is still recognised as a hero to the right wing, despite his many legal problems and recent indictment.
Although the former president is now facing off against an indictment on multiple felony charges, he continues to resonate deeply with half of the political divide, writes Seavey. At the North Carolina Republican Convention, Trump admitted openly that transgender issues inspire more furore among his supporters than standard talking points such as economic policy.
“It’s amazing how strongly people feel about that, you see, I’m talking about cutting taxes, people go like that…” Trump says while clapping unenthusiastically. “I talk about transgender, everyone goes crazy. Who would’ve thought? Five years ago, you didn’t know what the hell that was.”
This seemingly nonchalant statement reveals much about how conservative figures understand trans individuals; they’re not innately problematic but they straddle a precarious line that can be manipulated into a moral panic to inspire support.
