At his first major rally since becoming president-elect, Donald Trump pledged to swiftly implement policies targeting transgender rights.
Speaking at the Turning Point USA event for young conservatives in Arizona on Sunday, Trump declared, “January 20 will truly be Liberation Day in America,” referencing his inauguration date.
Trump announced plans to halt what he called “transgender lunacy” on his first day in office, stating, “With the stroke of my pen on day one, we’re going to stop the transgender lunacy.” He further emphasised that his administration would uphold a policy defining gender strictly as male and female.
The 2024 Republican Party Platform reflects a similar stance, pledging to eliminate funding for schools promoting “critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content.” The platform also promises to “keep men out of women’s sports” and has been criticised for its hostility towards transgender individuals. Millions of dollars were spent on anti-trans advertisements in battleground states during the final stretch of the election campaign.
Trump assured supporters that his administration would stand by its commitments, saying, “My administration will live by the motto ‘promises made, promises kept.’” This pledge comes despite criticism over unfulfilled promises from his 2016 presidency, such as the incomplete US-Mexico border wall.
The president-elect also announced plans to sign executive orders banning transgender individuals from serving in the military and curbing what he described as “child sexual mutilation.” He claimed his administration would work to remove transgender influences from schools, including elementary and secondary education.
During his campaign, Trump also promised to reintroduce a trans-military ban “on day one.” At a New Hampshire rally in August, he criticised the use of taxpayer funds for gender-affirming surgeries, stating, “Those precious taxpayer dollars should be going to care for our veterans in need, not to refund radical gender experiments for the communist left.”
