Donald Trump Goes on Anti-Trans Rant in Alaska
Trump misgendered trans swimmer Lia Thomas and promised to "keep men out of women’s sports” if he were to return to the White House.
Donald J. Trump went on an anti-transgender rant at an Alaska rally on Saturday, July 9.
The former president was speaking at a “Save America” rally in Anchorage, gloating on the successes of his single term in office and raising the possibility of a potential 2024 run for the presidency, when he started to attack trans athletes.
The twice-impeached Trump vowed to “keep men out of women’s sports” if he were elected president again.
He told the cheering crowd that trans athletes competing “is actually demeaning to women, and it should not be allowed.”
Trump then took digs at Lia Thomas, the first trans person to become an NCAA Division I Champion. He repeatedly misgendered Thomas, including saying, “he’s a giant, he’s a big guy.”
Trump continued his anti-trans rant with a story about a transgender weightlifter who dominated competition against women, but didn’t name anyone specific. He appeared to be referencing Laurel Hubbard, a New Zealand weightlifter who made history as the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics, but didn’t win any medals.
While holding office, Trump instituted multiple transphobic and homophobic policies, including banning transgender individuals from serving in their gender identity in the U.S. military and denying visas to the married same-sex partners of United Nations diplomats.
Under the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted a rule allowing homeless shelters to refuse to house transgender individuals based on their gender identity, the State Department refused to recognize the citizenship of children of same-sex U.S. citizens who were born outside the United States, and pushed a rule declaring that protections against sex-based discrimination in insurance, which are contained in the Affordable Care Act, do not apply to instances where an LGBTQ person is denied coverage or where doctors refuse to perform certain procedures on LGBTQ patients, especially transgender individuals seeking to undergo gender confirmation surgery.
The Alaska rally was held to promote three Republicans running for office in the state: Sarah Palin, hoping to win the congressional seat left vacant by the death of Don Young; Kelly Tshibaka, who is challenging moderate U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski; and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is running for reelection.
Speaking ahead of Trump at the rally, “My Pillow” CEO Mike Lindell once again claimed the election was “stolen.”
“I ran twice, I won twice,” Trump said, according to the Anchorage Daily News. “And now, with the approval of the great people of Alaska, we may have to do it again.”
The former president has teased another run for the White House at various rallies for candidates who support his “Make America Great Again” agenda, but has not officially announced his candidacy.
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