Trump Repeatedly Uses Anti-Trans Slur to Attack Democratic Candidate

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Donald Trump repeatedly used an anti-transgender slur to attack Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews as he threw his weight behind Senator Darline Graham (R-SC) in an unexpectedly competitive South Carolina race.

Trump referred to Andrews, a pediatrician who is not transgender, three times as “trannie” in a Truth Social post Monday while urging voters to reject her in November.

“Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina,” Trump wrote, before declaring Andrews was “not for South Carolina.”

“And South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her,” he added.

(Screengrab via Truth Social)

Andrews largely sidestepped the insult in her response, instead attempting to turn the focus back to household costs and her campaign platform:

As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina. And I’m going to work with anyone to put South Carolina first, because lowering costs and making life better for families across our state is going to take all of us working together. If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you.

Republicans have sought to make Andrews’ record on transgender issues part of the campaign. She has previously defended some forms of non-surgical gender-affirming care for minors, while saying she does not support gender-identity surgery for children or transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

Trump’s remarks were met with backlash by Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — but even a Republican, South Carolina Governor David Beasley, condemned Trump’s attack on Andrews on Monday as “abhorrent.”

Trump has taken a personal interest in Graham’s campaign following the death of her brother, longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, in July.

The president encouraged Darline Graham to run for the seat and later campaigned for her during a contentious Republican primary. Graham went on to defeat Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) in the GOP runoff.

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