President Donald Trump has appointed Tammy Bruce — a Fox News commentator, former Democrat-turned-MAGA loyalist, and out lesbian — to serve as Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, with the rank of ambassador.
Bruce, who has been the State Department’s press secretary since January, has a long record of promoting conspiracy theories, attacking LGBTQ+ advocacy efforts, and making controversial claims on-air and in official capacities.
Announcing the nomination on Truth Social, Trump praised Bruce as a “Great Patriot, Television Personality, and Bestselling Author.”
Bruce joins other openly gay or lesbian figures in Trump’s administration, such as Ric Grenell and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, despite her frequent criticisms of Pride campaigns. In 2023, she argued on Fox that Pride “really do[es] damage to the gay and lesbian community” and called it “embarrassing.” Earlier in the Trump presidency, she suggested Americans shouldn’t condemn homophobes merely for being “different.”
During Pride month this year, when asked at a State Department briefing if banning a Pride parade would be appropriate — a proposal floated by Vice President J.D. Vance — Bruce responded vaguely: “That’s our plan and what we feel is important to convey.”
Her public statements often align tightly with Trump’s worldview. At one briefing about Iran’s nuclear program, Bruce said: “What’s happening is what President Trump thinks and says.” Critics compared the remark to authoritarian rhetoric, with one social media user quipping, “Sorry, we’re not North Korea.”
Bruce has also accused Democrats of “ending the world,” likened them to “batterers,” endorsed Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen, and described Disney’s opposition to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law as a “hate crime hoax.”
Her more outlandish comments include accusing Democrats of funding human-animal hybrid experiments (“Mutants are coming!”) and criticising President Biden for altering the Declaration of Independence in a speech to include “women” alongside “men.”
Bruce’s appointment comes amid heightened scrutiny of Trump’s personnel choices, particularly regarding appointees who reject mainstream science, democratic norms, and established civil rights protections.
