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Trump Uses Anti-Trans Slur Against South Carolina Senate Candidate
Confirmed
In Short: President Donald Trump used an anti-trans slur to attack Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews in a Truth Social post.
President Donald Trump used an anti-trans slur to attack Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews in a Truth Social post on Monday, urging voters to support Republican Senator Darline Graham instead.
In his post, Trump referred to Andrews, who is not transgender, three times as 'trannie,' calling her 'not for South Carolina.' He also accused her of supporting policies such as open borders, defunding the police, and high taxes.
Andrews, a pediatrician, responded to Trump's post without addressing the accusations or the slur directly. She urged voters to look at the merits of each candidate and cast their vote accordingly.
The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, condemned Trump's remarks, calling them 'the sad, disgusting, pathetic diatribes of a lame duck president with record-low approvals.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also called Trump's attacks on Andrews 'despicable.'
Former South Carolina Governor David Beasley, a Republican, called Trump’s comments 'abhorrent,' adding that 'While South Carolinians can strongly disagree with one another, we can do so civilly.'
Despite South Carolina's long history of electing Republican senators, the race between Andrews and Graham has become unexpectedly close. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of the race toward Democrats, moving it from 'Solid Republican' to 'Likely Republican.'
Graham, who was appointed to the seat after the death of her brother Lindsey, has faced criticism for her stance on national security. In a debate, she said, 'National security was not my thing.'
Trump has a history of using insulting nicknames for politicians and officials he dislikes. In this case, he used the slur repeatedly to attack Andrews, who is running against his hand-picked candidate.
Andrews' campaign has been focused on meeting with residents throughout communities in South Carolina, discussing rising costs and laying out her agenda to cut taxes for working families and make life more affordable.
While South Carolina has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly three decades, the race remains competitive, with both candidates making their final push for votes ahead of the November election.
What this adds
The White House referred NBC News to Trump's social media post when asked for comment on why he used the slur.
What's confirmed
- President Donald Trump used an anti-trans slur Monday to attack the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Carolina as he urged voters to back Republican Sen. Darline Graham.
- Donald Trump has used an anti-trans slur repeatedly to attack a Democratic candidate running against his hand-picked candidate.
- (WCSC) — President Donald Trump used an anti-transgender slur to refer to Annie Andrews, a Democratic candidate for Senate in South Carolina.
- “Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
- "Trannie is not for South Carolina, and South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her."
What's still developing
- “Darline is a High Quality person, maybe the Highest, and Annie Trannie is not, in particular, as it pertains to representing the Values of the Great People of South Carolina — She is in favor of Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, a Weak Military, and will absolutely fight to take your guns away — In other words, she is against our Great Second Amendment!"
- “So low, in fact, he’s having to campaign in deep red territory in a desperate attempt to shore up support ahead of the midterms,” Ramiro Sarmiento, a spokesperson for the organization, said in a statement.
- “This is abhorrent. Elections don’t have to be about cruelty and lies. South Carolina deserves better,” Beasley wrote Monday night on X.
- AP Photo/Alex Brandon He announced on Truth Social that he would pay for the ads using fundraising group MAGA Inc. "The Radical Left is upset with the fact that I am taking Ads, which I consider to be a positive promotion for our Great USA, and paying for them with USA money," Trump said.