In what can only be described as one of the most bizarre moments in U.S. political history, President Donald Trump, in his address to Congress, accused the Biden administration of spending millions of taxpayer dollars on making “mice transgender.” The statement, an apparent slip-up of the term “transgenic mice,” quickly turned into meme fuel, sparking an avalanche of online mockery.
“$8 million for making mice transgender. This is real,” Trump declared, as he railed against what he called “gender-bending social experiments” funded by the federal government. His supporters, including JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson, laughed maniacally at the claim—presumably as clueless as their leader about the actual meaning of “transgenic.”
The internet, however, wasn’t about to let such a blunder slide. Social media erupted with jokes, satire, and bewilderment at the sheer absurdity of the claim. One user quipped, “I actually only pay my taxes to make mice transgender.” Another posted, “I support the 149-year-old transgender mice in their fight against Trump.”
Others were left questioning whether the real issue was the mistake itself or the spectacle of powerful politicians laughing at something they clearly did not understand. “I’m not sure what’s more ridiculous—Trump thinking it’s ‘transgender mice’ or JD Vance and Mike Johnson laughing maniacally at it (because they have zero idea either),” wrote a bewildered viewer.
The Facts: No, The U.S. Government Isn’t Funding ‘Transgender Mice’
To the surprise of absolutely no one outside of the MAGA bubble, Trump’s claim was completely false. Fact-checkers quickly debunked it, revealing that between the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded $477,121 to three studies involving the effects of feminizing hormone therapy on monkeys to assess potential impacts on the immune system. No mice were involved, let alone a covert government operation to “trans” them.
Nevertheless, in his efforts to pander to his most radical base, Trump continued using the moment to stoke fears about so-called “woke” policies. With a straight face, he boasted about his executive actions aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, stating, “Our country will be ‘woke’ no longer.”
This came as little shock, given his administration’s aggressive rollback of protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. Since retaking office, Trump has enacted policies that directly target trans and nonbinary Americans, cutting funding to organizations that support gender-affirming healthcare and pushing for laws that criminalize gender transition for minors.
The Real Threat: Trump’s War on Trans Rights
Beyond the ridiculousness of the “transgender mice” debacle, Trump’s address underscored a far more sinister agenda: the continued assault on transgender rights. He proudly touted his executive order banning schools from what he called “indoctrinating our children with transgender ideology.”
This rhetoric leaned heavily into far-right talking points, including a reference to a widely misrepresented legal case involving a Florida family that sued a school for allegedly allowing their child to socially transition without parental consent. Despite the lawsuit being dismissed in 2023 due to a lack of legal merit, Trump resurrected it as evidence that schools are secretly “transing” kids without parents’ knowledge—a claim with no factual basis.
He doubled down on this fearmongering, urging Congress to pass a nationwide ban on gender-affirming care for minors, branding medical transition as “sex changes on children” and declaring that the idea of a transgender child is “a big lie.”
To anyone familiar with reality, this is nothing more than a calculated push to erase transgender existence from public life. Gender-affirming care for youth has been supported by every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as lifesaving treatment for trans individuals. But for Trump and his followers, science and facts take a backseat to rallying cries against the so-called “woke agenda.”
‘Wokeness is Gone’ – Or So Trump Claims
Trump, who seems to believe saying something repeatedly makes it true, triumphantly declared, “We’re getting wokeness out of our schools and out of our military—it is already out, and it is out of our society. We don’t want it. Wokeness is trouble. Wokeness is bad. It’s gone, it’s gone, and we feel so much better for it. Don’t we?”
Given the collective eye-roll from most of the nation, the answer is a resounding no.
Despite Trump’s claims, transgender Americans continue to exist, advocate, and thrive in the face of increasing legislative attacks. His administration’s obsession with stripping away their rights only reinforces the need for continued activism and support from allies.
The Bottom Line
While Trump’s “transgender mice” moment may have provided the internet with a wealth of comedic material, the reality behind his administration’s policies is anything but funny. His continued demonization of trans people, coupled with legislative actions aimed at erasing them from public life, poses a genuine threat to an already vulnerable community.
As the 2024 election looms, the choice could not be clearer. America can either succumb to the hysteria of imaginary transgender rodents or recognize the real fight at hand: ensuring equality, dignity, and protection for all transgender individuals.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about mice. It’s about people.
