Donald Trump’s latest attack on transgender people has angered even his own wife. At a campaign rally in Iowa on Sunday, Trump mocked transgender athletes, saying that his wife, Melania, thinks it’s “not presidential.”
“She said, ‘Darling, I love you so much, but this is not presidential when you do the weightlifting, this is not presidential, or when you do the swimming thing, it’s not … or when you dance off the stage,'” Trump told the crowd.
But Trump said he told Melania, “Look. We got a year to go. Everybody loves us. I love everybody. The country’s going to hell in a hand-basket. Let’s do a little dancing.”
Trump’s transphobic comments have been condemned by LGBTQ+ advocates and allies. They say that Trump’s mockery of transgender people is harmful and dangerous.
“Trump’s attack on transgender athletes is a vile and dangerous attack on the entire transgender community,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Transgender athletes are athletes, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Trump’s comments are nothing more than hateful and transphobic rhetoric.”
Even some of Trump’s own supporters are criticizing his comments. One supporter tweeted, “I love Trump, but his comments about transgender athletes were uncalled for and hurtful.”
Another supporter tweeted, “I’m a Trump supporter, but I don’t think it’s right to make fun of transgender people. They’re just trying to live their lives.”
Trump’s comments come at a time when transgender people are facing increasing attacks across the country. In recent months, several states have passed laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Experts say that these laws are discriminatory and have no basis in science. They say that transgender athletes are not a threat to women’s sports.
“There is no evidence to suggest that transgender athletes have any unfair advantage over cisgender athletes,” said Dr. Jack Turban, a professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “These laws are simply a way to discriminate against transgender people.”
Trump’s comments are likely to embolden those who are seeking to discriminate against transgender people. They are also likely to cause further harm to transgender people, who already face high rates of mental health problems.