Pro-Trump forces flood airwaves with ads attacking Harris over past transgender stances

Over the first half of October, former President Donald Trump and his allies poured more than $21 million into television ads attacking Vice President Kamala Harris over her past support of certain rights for transgender people – a message they have spread during nationally televised NFL games, college football broadcasts and in battleground states.

Over the first half of October, former President Donald Trump and his allies poured more than $21 million into television ads attacking Vice President Kamala Harris over her past support of certain rights for transgender people – a message they have spread during nationally televised NFL games, college football broadcasts and in battleground states. It’s a staggering sum to spend on a topic that most voters say isn’t a top priority for them this election. But Trump’s campaign is betting any voters still choosing between the two candidates can be swayed to take sides in a cultural fight that has torn apart state houses and school boards in recent years – one that has put tremendous focus on an incredibly small, marginalized group that already faces discrimination-based violence. Republicans in key Senate races have mirrored that messaging as part of a playbook painting Democrats as out of touch with most voters. At the center of the ads are positions, first reported by CNN’s KFile last month, that Harris took as a candidate for president during the 2020 primary, when she supported taxpayer-funded gender-affirming care for detained immigrants and federal prisoners, as already required by federal law. “Kamala’s agenda is they/them, not you,” says one ad, referring to the pronouns used by some transgender and non-binary individuals. The Trump campaign put nearly $14 million behind the ad in the first two weeks of the month. Asked by Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday about her current stance, Harris said she would follow the law, while alluding to a New York Times report that outlined the Bureau of Prisons provided gender-affirming services under the Trump administration. The Trump campaign disputed the report. Even before launching his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump escalated his rhetoric against the LGBTQ community – specifically transgender Americans – in ways that he largely avoided in the lead up to his 2016 win and throughout his four years in Washington. At an appearance in July 2022, Trump voiced his opposition to transgender women participating in women’s athletics, marveling at the applause it generated and insisting his advisers had advocated against including it in his remarks.