Trump says he saves attacks on trans athletes for the week before an election

The president told the Republican convention in Dallas that attacking transgender athletes is campaign material best saved for the week before voting.

Told by Peter Ashford · 10 September 2026

Donald Trump told the Republican Party's first national midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday night that attacks on transgender athletes are campaign material, and that he likes to save them for the last week before an election. "I don't like to do it much before the election," Trump said. "I like to wait about a week before the election."

He called the issue "one of our great sound bites of all time." He said he was raising it earlier than usual because he was "petrified" Democrats might change their position on transgender athletes. "That will really hurt us," he said.

Few voters rank it as a priority. A June GLAAD survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults found that 8 percent of registered voters considered transgender issues a top concern. Forty-four percent named inflation and the rising cost of living. Seven in ten preferred candidates focused on affordability rather than restricting transgender rights. Trump dismissed affordability as "fake".

The convention struggled to fill seats early. The American Airlines Center holds 21,000 people, and earlier speeches played to rows of empty seats. By the time Trump spoke the arena had mostly filled, though the upper decks stayed sparse. Trump called it packed.

Republicans in competitive races stayed away. Maine Senator Susan Collins, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan and Michigan Representative Tom Barrett all skipped the gathering. Those who attended spent the evening attacking Democratic candidates over transgender issues. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, running for U.S. Senate against state Representative James Talarico, accused his opponent of being "obsessed with transitions" and wanting to "transition your kids." South Carolina Senator Tim Scott told the crowd that Talarico "thinks God needs special woke pronouns."

Talarico walked back earlier comments this week. He told Fox News he "missed the mark" when he said there were six sexes in 2021. He now says he opposes transgender athletes playing in girls' sports "if it endangers safety or fairness."

Elon Musk's America PAC is spending at least $100 million on midterm advertising focused almost exclusively on transgender athletes and gender-affirming care. Its ads target Democrats in Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Alaska. Human Rights Campaign polling from 2024 found that 64 percent of voters remembered seeing anti-transgender advertising. Four percent said it motivated their vote.

Trump's approval rating fell to 33 percent in a recent Financial Times/Focaldata poll. Fifty-seven percent of voters said they were financially worse off under him. His speech sprawled beyond transgender people. He attempted a spelling joke connecting "Democrats" with "dumb." He warned of a "sick cloud" of communism. He repeated unsupported claims about millions of migrants and thousands of murderers entering the country. He promised an unspecified healthcare plan and a permanently sealed border.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said MAGA politicians have driven up costs, decimated healthcare access and supported discriminatory policies. "So it's no surprise they're relying on fear, division, and anti-LGBTQ+ attacks to try to distract from their own failures," she told The Advocate. "It won't work."

Correction, 27 September 2026: an earlier headline said Trump admitted timing anti-trans attacks "for maximum electoral damage"; he said he likes to wait until about a week before an election. The story also called the arena half-empty; it had mostly filled by the time he spoke. A line attributed to Reuters has been removed because it could not be verified.