“Kamala is for they/them,” one ad says. “Trump is for you.”
The answer in the questionnaire “is not what she’s proposing, it’s not what she’s running on,” Harris’ communications director, Michael Tyler, told Fox News in September.
Only 38% of voters said transgender rights are extremely or very important to their vote choice in November, according to a recent Gallup poll. A 2023 poll from Gallup showed a growing majority of Americans believed transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that matched their gender at birth. Only 26% believed transgender athletes should be able to play on teams that match their gender identity.
Voters have said their top concerns are issues like the economy, abortion and immigration.
The Trump campaign is betting that with time dwindling until Nov. 5, the issue of transgender rights will sway voters more than the economy or immigration.
“It’s the last thing on Earth they want to talk about,” co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita told NBC News. “So we’ll talk about it for them.”
Trump has underscored that on the campaign trail, often repeating a line about “keeping men out of women’s sports” — it often gets the most applause at his rallies.
“Anti-trans attacks don’t work,” Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Brandon Wolf said. “Time and time again this kind of fear mongering has been a political loser, and the American people will see through it again in November.”
contributed to this report.
