President-elect Donald Trump is at it again, tossing out cryptic soundbites to muddy the waters surrounding his long, painful crusade against transgender rights. After years of scapegoating trans people for political clout—especially during the 2024 campaign—Trump is now hinting that maybe the “bathroom issue” isn’t the most pressing matter facing Congress or the country. He even went so far as to agree with Representative-elect Sarah McBride, the soon-to-be first openly transgender member of Congress, that lawmakers need to focus on more important issues than which restrooms transgender individuals can use. But given his track record, one question lingers: Does he think we’ve forgotten how he exploited trans issues at every turn?
In a recent interview with Time magazine—an interview that earned Trump 2024’s “Person of the Year” accolade—he was asked if he agreed with Rep.-elect McBride’s position that we should all be paying attention to more substantial matters than bathroom bills. “I do agree with that,” Trump replied. “On that—absolutely.” This abrupt pivot contrasts sharply with the Trump campaign ads that mocked transgender rights, his campaign rallies that amplified misinformation, and his promises to roll back federal protections for trans youth. Now, with the election behind him and a Capitol Hill controversy brewing over who gets to use which bathroom, Trump seems eager to pretend he never fanned these flames in the first place.
The Capitol Quarrel: Bathrooms and Bigger Battles
This new round of finger-pointing and posturing originated with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who pushed a resolution to confine members of Congress and their staff to bathrooms that correspond to their “biological sex.” Mace and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have insisted this is a matter of decorum and clarity, but everyone knows who the resolution is targeting: Rep.-elect McBride, who represents Delaware and is poised to be the first openly trans member of Congress. McBride aptly described Mace’s resolution as an “attempt to misdirect,” pulling focus away from weightier policy priorities and stoking culture-war embers that Trump himself spent years fanning into a full-on blaze.
What McBride and most transgender Americans know all too well is that these so-called “bathroom debates” are never really about bathrooms. They’re a convenient symbol deployed to make trans people feel under the microscope, under suspicion, and unwelcome. For Trump and many Republicans, trans issues are political currency—used to stoke fear, confusion, and moral panic for votes and campaign donations. During the 2024 election cycle, trans people became a favorite bogeyman, with Trump’s team running ads mocking Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for gender-affirming health care for incarcerated individuals and labeling her as being “for they/them.” The ads ended by declaring, “President Trump is for you,” neatly summoning an “us vs. them” dynamic. It’s not subtle—and it’s certainly not friendly.
The Gaslighting Games Begin
Now, post-election, Trump says he doesn’t want to “get into the bathroom issue.” He says the trans population is tiny—too small, apparently, to fuss over—while simultaneously blaming them for ripping the country apart. He claims he’s just going to “go by the Supreme Court,” as if he’s ever been a passive bystander to judicial rulings. This is gaslighting at its most cynical: Trump spent years and millions of dollars stirring anti-trans sentiment to rally his base. Now, he wants everyone to believe that he’s above these petty fights, that he’s just a neutral observer who thinks we should focus on more pressing matters.
This rhetorical sleight-of-hand can feel like a gut punch to transgender Americans and their allies who vividly recall how vigorously the Trump campaign targeted them. For years, trans communities have been telling anyone who would listen that this was never about bathrooms—it was about dehumanization, delegitimization, and leveraging their lives as political pawns. Trump might fancy himself a magician capable of making his past words disappear, but we remember every line, every slogan, and every legislative threat.
The Real Stakes for Trans Americans
As Trump tries to downplay the significance of anti-trans rhetoric, the reality on the ground has never been more serious. According to the Movement Advancement Project, 14 states have enacted laws restricting transgender people’s access to public restrooms. The Supreme Court isn’t currently weighing a bathroom case, but it is considering the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that bans trans minors from obtaining necessary transition-related health care. These policies aren’t just talk—they result in very real harm, instilling fear, confusion, and pain in trans communities. It’s a cruel irony that Trump now claims these issues are overblown and that “only a few people” are affected, despite using these same issues to drum up his base.
It’s not lost on us that when he needed to energize certain voters, Trump painted trans rights as a massive national emergency, a threat to “common sense” and traditional values. Now that the election is in the rearview mirror and he’s grappling with the responsibilities of governing again, he implies that he’s simply following the law and respecting “the will of the people.” It’s a feigned innocence, a shrug that says, “Who, me?” Like a reality TV villain pivoting in the reunion special, he’s trying to rewrite the narrative—hoping no one will notice the reel of greatest hits playing behind him.
Congressional Spin and Violent Tensions
Meanwhile, tensions at the Capitol remain high. The U.S. Capitol Police recently arrested a person accused of assaulting Rep. Mace, who claims she was “physically accosted by a pro-tr*ns man.” However, a foster care advocate who was present challenged Mace’s account, describing the interaction as “very normal.” It’s unclear how this incident will shake out, but Mace swiftly leveraged it into political ammunition, further painting the transgender community and its allies as aggressive or dangerous.
In this charged atmosphere, it’s essential to remember that violence disproportionately affects transgender people, especially trans women of color. The narrative of trans folks as “threats” in bathrooms or as violent actors in policy disputes is a dangerous lie with deep roots in anti-trans propaganda. The fact that Trump and his allies spent years feeding these lies into the public’s political bloodstream isn’t something you can just “move past” with a nonchalant interview soundbite.
When Gaslighting Meets Pop Culture
The idea that we can forget about all of this and move on is reminiscent of a bad season finale on a streaming drama—where the antagonist suddenly claims they were misunderstood all along. Think about it: This is a President-elect who once gloated about the number of Time covers he snagged (even faking some to hang in his golf clubs), who tried to rewrite Taylor Swift’s “Person of the Year” honor as a personal slight. Now he’s anointed by Time again, and instead of using the platform to at least acknowledge his harmful rhetoric, he tries to pivot and hand-wave it away. It’s like watching a reboot of an old show, except the lead character is gaslighting the audience, pretending last season’s cliffhangers never happened.
Trump’s tone deafness suggests he’s wagering that American voters—and especially transgender Americans—have short memories. But for those who’ve had to watch him demonize their identities, it’s impossible to erase the trauma. This isn’t just campaign noise—it’s about kids denied health care, adults facing harassment and discrimination, and families frantically trying to protect their loved ones. No glitzy magazine cover or coy commentary can heal the wounds inflicted during a long, ugly campaign season.
A Call for Accountability and Empowerment
For transgender individuals, their families, and allies, Trump’s attempt at a casual rewrite of recent history is as transparent as it is insulting. He poured time, energy, and money into demonizing trans communities. He tried to exploit confusion and fear over gender identity to wedge his way back into the White House. Now he implies those fights were beneath him, merely small potatoes compared to “bigger issues.” If that were truly the case, why play that card in the first place?
It’s crucial to keep calling out these tactics. Highlighting the disconnect between what Trump said when he needed votes and what he says now that he’s preparing to govern again is how we keep truth at the forefront. We cannot let him dictate the narrative that trans issues were a minor footnote, not when the impact on real people’s lives remains profound.
Trans empowerment is about standing firm against these revisionist histories. It’s about celebrating people like Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, who made history not as a footnote or a political prop, but as a legitimate legislator focused on the myriad of policies that actually matter to her constituents. The bathroom debate is a red herring—it always has been. The real issues include health care access, anti-discrimination protections, housing security, and building a world where everyone’s identity is respected without question.
Body positivity and transgender empowerment mean holding leaders accountable, refusing to let them shift blame or pretend their harmful rhetoric is no big deal. It means educating ourselves, each other, and pushing back against attempts to minimize the struggle. We deserve leaders who treat us as human beings, not political footballs to be punted away after the final whistle.
The Bottom Line
As Trump struts into his next term, it’s clear he wants a clean slate on trans issues—no strings attached, no apologies necessary. But we remember the banners, the ads, the rallies, and the legislative threats. We remember how he tried to convince America that the presence of trans people in sports, restrooms, or even public life was an existential crisis. We won’t forget. The gaslighting won’t work this time.
Instead, we’ll rally around leaders like Sarah McBride, around families fighting for their children’s right to exist and thrive, and around allies who refuse to remain silent. We’ll continue to call out hypocrisy and push back against attempts to erase the truth. Our histories, struggles, and victories aren’t tools for political gain. They’re real lives, and no wave of the hand can change that story.
Trans lives matter, trans rights matter, and we won’t let anyone—no matter how big their platform or how sparkling their magazine covers—convince us otherwise. The pivot, the shrug, the “I agree with that” won’t neutralize the damage done or the community that stands stronger because of it. It might be a new political season, but we’re wide awake, remembering every script line, every dog whistle, and every attempt to paint trans people as a problem rather than the vibrant, resilient community we truly are.
