I’m OK with this.
By Samantha Riedel September 11, 2024
Donald Trump’s “transgender operations” line during this week’s presidential debate is already the talking point that launched a thousand memes — but what may have sounded like word salad managed to contain the barest hint of a real, honest-to-goodness fact.
During Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ first and potentially only debate on Tuesday evening, Trump accused the sitting vice president of approving “transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.” Trump was ostensibly responding to a question about hydrofracking, though he veered wildly between other claims, including sensational and misleading allegations that protestors “burned down Minneapolis” in 2020. But for once, Trump’s comments about trans people weren’t entirely fabricated — although calling them “accurate” would be a stretch.
Trump’s claim about “transgender operations” can likely be traced back to a 2019 survey from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which the organization says it sent to all presidential candidates that year, CNN’s KFILE reported on Monday. In that survey, candidates were asked if they would use presidential authority to ensure that all trans people, including incarcerated people and undocumented immigrants, received “comprehensive treatment” for their transition “including all necessary surgical care.” Harris said she would do so. (snip-MORE)
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