Donald Trump (L) with Moms for Liberty Co-Founder Tiffany Justice at the Moms for Liberty summit. (Screen shot via PBS Newshour/YouTube)
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump recycled right-wing anti-trans talking points, in many cases with statements that were false or misleading, during a discussion with Moms for Liberty Co-Founder Tiffany Justice at the group’s summit in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 30.
They did not address specific anti-trans policies Trump promised to enact if he is elected in November, which would include sweeping restrictions of the rights of, especially, transgender youth, including through heavy-handed government intervention in healthcare and education.
Nor did Trump say much about his opponents’ positions or records on trans issues, apart from a remark about how Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic 2024 nominee, might “flip-flop” on the issue, a charge that his campaign has often leveled against her.
Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have strong records of expanding freedoms and protections for the trans and LGBTQ communities, in many cases long before taking those actions or positions would have conferred any political advantage.
Trump did not directly address a question from Justice about Walz’s move as governor to install feminine hygiene products in all of the state’s public school restrooms and facilities. Shortly after Harris chose him s her vice presidential nominee on Aug. 8, conservative opponents have sought to attack him on this basis, using the nickname “tampon Tim.”
Formed in 2021 to push back against Covid-era mask mandates and other school policies, Moms for Liberty has since shifted its focus almost entirely to curbing the rights of LGBTQ students, teachers, and staff as well as banning educational materials, books, and classroom discussion addressing matters of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The group, considered an anti-LGBTQ extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is closely allied with the Republican Party and staunchly supportive of Trump.
The bulk of Trump’s remarks during his conversation with Justice, however, addressed unrelated topics ranging from foreign policy to reality television programs.
However, the anti-trans rhetoric used by Trump was extreme. For instance, he repeated a debunked conspiracy theory that Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is transgender, a lie that was spread following her victory over Italy’s Angela Carini during the 2024 Olympic Games.
Later, he suggested without any evidence that children are going off to school and coming home a few days later having had “an operation” to change their gender without the knowledge or consent of their parents.
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