### Trump Campaign Channels Millions into Ads Attacking Kamala Harris on Transgender Rights

In the first half of October, former President Donald Trump and his supporters allocated over $21 million to television advertisements targeting Vice President Kamala Harris for her previous endorsement of transgender rights. These ads were prominently aired during nationally televised NFL and college football games, particularly in critical battleground states. Though this issue is not a top concern for most voters, Trump's campaign seems committed to leveraging this cultural debate, which has been contentious in state legislatures and school boards in recent years.

Central to these advertisements are Harris's stances from the 2020 presidential primary, where she backed taxpayer-funded gender-affirming care for detained immigrants and federal prisoners, a provision already mandated by federal law. One ad, which cost nearly $14 million, claims, "Kamala's agenda is they/them, not you," referencing the pronouns used by some transgender and non-binary people. When questioned by Fox News' Bret Baier, Harris stated she would adhere to the law and hinted at a New York Times article describing how the Bureau of Prisons provided gender-affirming services during Trump’s administration—a claim the Trump campaign disputes.

Throughout his political career, Trump has escalated his rhetoric against the LGBTQ community, focusing specifically on transgender individuals. Early in his latest bid for the presidency, Trump promised to penalize hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors and schools that inform students about their gender identity, falsely claiming that schools are secretly conducting gender-affirming surgeries. His remarks against transgender women in sports continue to garner robust support at his rallies.

During October, from a total spending of approximately $66 million by the Trump campaign and associated outside groups on broadcast TV ads, about one-third—around $21 million—was focused on "LGBTQ rights." This expenditure has surpassed nearly all other topics in Republican advertisements meant to influence voters, except for taxation. Economic messaging remains a fluctuating priority, with a shift from inflation to taxation as the central theme in pro-Trump advertising over recent months.

The Trump campaign's leading October ad criticizes Harris's backing of laws requiring that medical care, including gender-affirming care, be provided to prisoners, labeling it as "insane." Another ad with over $2 million in spending propagates similar sentiments. In response, Harris argued that Trump's campaign is inciting fear among voters, asserting that Trump lacks a substantial plan addressing American needs.

Despite the backlash and the mixed public opinions on transgender issues, as highlighted by recent polls, Trump's advisers believe this focus will not alienate moderate voters who support LGBTQ rights if it remains concentrated on policies affecting children. Trump's campaign co-manager, Chris LaCivita, emphasized that the issue represents a central aspect of the modern Democratic Party, which the Republicans have decided to highlight.

Pro-Trump organizations such as Preserve America and MAGA Inc. are following the campaign's lead, incorporating transgender topics alongside concerns about inflation and immigration in their advertisements. Meanwhile, Democratic responses have been minimal. Only recently have Democratic candidates like Rep. Colin Allred in Texas and Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio started addressing these attacks through their own televised ads.