Trump Says He’ll Launch Probe Into Whether Trans ‘Ideology’ Leads to Mass Shootings
Former President Donald Trump said that if re-elected, he would use the government to investigate and potentially halt transgender health care during a National Rifle Association (NRA) speech on Friday.
“Upon my inauguration, I will direct the FDA to convene an independent outside panel to investigate whether transgender hormone treatments and ideology increase the risk of extreme depression, aggression and even violence,” said Trump to the crowd gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“I think most of us already know the answer,” he added. Trump then said he would direct an investigation of whether “genetically engineered cannabis” is “causing psychotic breaks.”
The former president also accused Democrats of “pushing the transgender cult” on children. Earlier in his speech, he called school shootings a “spiritual problem” and not a “gun problem.” He also proposed a tax credit for arming teachers.
Trump’s speech comes just four days after a gunman killed five people in a Louisville, Kentucky, bank, and two weeks after a shooter killed six people, including three children, at a school in Nashville. After learning that the Nashville shooter was transgender, Trump and his allies have pivoted to attacking medical care for transgender individuals, as well as treatment options for those with mental health struggles. Last month, Fox News host Tucker Carlson baselessly claimed that the “trans movement is targeting Christians.”
Republicans have not only rebuffed calls for Congress to pass meaningful gun control legislation, they’ve argued the shootings necessitate more guns so that the “good guys” can defend themselves and others against shooters. Nevertheless, guns are banned from the NRA convention on Friday.
Trump’s appearance on Friday marks the seventh time he has addressed the NRA. The former president’s speech last year also came in the immediate wake of a mass shooting, when the convention was held in Houston just days after a shooter killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. Trump spent his time on stage bashing Democrats for pushing for gun control, before closing with a little dance.