Trump Gives Surprising Response on Trans Rights — Very Different from His Campaign’s ‘They/Them’ Ads

Donald Trump, after being elected president, seemed to move away from one of the big issues he talked about during his campaign: transgender rights. During the campaign, one of the most memorable ads from Trump’s team said, “Kamala is for They/Them, Donald Trump is for Us.”

The ad showed radio hosts Charlamagne tha God and DJ Envy criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris. They pointed out her support for government funding of gender reassignment surgeries and included images of transgender people in the Biden-Harris administration.

The ad also claimed that Harris supported allowing transgender women (biological men) to compete in women’s sports. The ad ended with the line: “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”

This ad was very popular among Trump’s supporters and played an important role in his victory. Mediaite writer Tommy Christopher said this ad had a huge impact, especially in key swing states, and that its final line made a strong impression on voters.

However, after the election, Trump didn’t talk much about the transgender issue. In an interview with Time magazine, he seemed to avoid the topic.

When asked about a comment he made in 2016—where he said transgender people should be able to use whatever bathroom they feel comfortable with—Trump said:
“I don’t want to talk about the bathroom issue.

It’s a very small group of people we’re talking about, but it’s caused a lot of division in the country. I believe in following the rulings of the Supreme Court, and so far, those rulings seem to work for most people. This issue gets a lot of attention, but it’s not about a large number of people.”

The interviewer also brought up a comment from Sarah McBride, a transgender congressperson, who said lawmakers should focus on bigger problems. Trump agreed, saying:
“Yes, I agree completely. This is an issue that only affects a small number of people.”

When pressed about his campaign ad, which strongly emphasized the “us versus them” idea, Trump doubled down on his message.
“Trump is for us,” he said. “By ‘us,’ I mean the vast majority of people in this country. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about everyone else. I want all people to be treated fairly, no matter who they are.”

Trump ended the interview by repeating that he wants fairness for everyone, but his main focus is on representing and supporting the majority of Americans.