Trump, Desperate For Relevance, Rails Against Trans Rights

A diminished Trump rails half-heartedly against trans people as he tries to regain his position as the leader of the fascist movement in the Republican Party.

by Evan Urquhart

Donald Trump has been counted out before, and we all know what happened next. Still, at this moment, he certainly seems to be growing steadily more marginal within Republican politics, even as the spirit of reactionary resentment, anger, and hatred he sparked has come to dominate the GOP.

Nonetheless, Trump is running for president again, and Newsweek reports his most recent rally drew about 200 people and prominently featured attacks on trans rights.

screenshot from Newsweek

Trump attacking trans people and all but ignoring his signature issue of anti-immigration suggests the amoral, opportunistic former president is fully aware that the outrage animating the GOP has been focused almost exclusively on trans people in recent months. As long as anti-trans hate remains the center of gravity for Republican politics it seems unlikely that Trump will regain his status as the preferred standard bearer of fascism, as there are other figures in the Republican party, most notably Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who are much more closely associated with that particular area of small-minded reactionary hate.