The Sick Reason The Right Is Obsessed With Trans People

In October 2024, nearly half of Trump’s campaign ad spending went to anti-trans messaging. Not inflation, not healthcare, not immigration. Trans people. A community that makes up less than 1% of the U.S. population. Think about that. With the economy in crisis, housing costs skyrocketing, and healthcare still broken, Republicans decided the biggest threat to America was a teenager getting puberty blockers. Trump even ran ads claiming Kamala Harris wanted “taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners and illegal aliens,” ending with the line: “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” polls showed transgender rights ranked dead last on voters’ list of priorities. The public wasn’t asking for this fight. So why did Republicans make it the centerpiece of their campaign? That’s what we’re unpacking today — why the right is so obsessed with trans people, and what that obsession really tells us.