United States President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday vowed to “stop the transgender lunacy” on the first day of his presidency, intensifying Republican efforts against LGBTQ rights as the party prepares to control the White House and both chambers of Congress.
“I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools,” Trump declared during an event for young conservatives in Phoenix, Arizona.
He also pledged to “keep men out of women’s sports,” asserting, “it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
Speaking at the AmericaFest conference in Arizona, a border state he comfortably won in the November election, Trump broadened his promises to include immediate actions against “migrant crime.” He vowed to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and reiterated his stance on reclaiming US influence over the Panama Canal.
Transgender issues have been a contentious topic in US politics, with Democratic- and Republican-led states pursuing sharply divergent policies on matters such as medical treatments and the inclusion of books addressing the subject in public and school libraries.
In a related development, Congress approved the annual defense budget last week, which included a provision to block funding for certain gender-affirming care for the transgender children of service members.
Trump’s speech, which served as a victory lap following his 2024 election win, laid out an ambitious agenda for his second term while painting a dire picture of the previous four years under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“On January 20, the United States will turn the page forever on four long, horrible years of failure, incompetence, national decline, and we will inaugurate a new era of peace, prosperity and national greatness,” he said, referencing his upcoming inauguration.
“I will end the war in Ukraine. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East, and I will prevent, I promise, World War III,” Trump added. “The golden age of America is upon us.”
However, Trump has yet to provide details on how he plans to swiftly end the war in Ukraine or bring peace to the Middle East.
In a bold assertion, Trump criticized Panamanian authorities for their management of the Panama Canal, stating they “haven’t treated us fairly.” He had previously described fees for using the canal as “ridiculous.” On Sunday, he warned that if Panama failed to adhere to the principles of the 1970s treaty granting them control of the canal, “then we will demand” its return to the United States “in full, quickly and without question.”
The Panama Canal is a vital artery for global commerce, facilitating the transit of thousands of ships annually.
Trump also renewed his commitment to tackle America’s drug crisis by addressing immigration. He promised to launch “the largest deportation operation in American history” upon assuming office. Furthermore, he vowed to “immediately designate the (drug) cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.”
“This criminal network operating on American soil will be dismantled, deported and destroyed,” Trump declared.
During his first term in 2019, Trump had similarly proposed labeling Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations following the killing of nine American citizens from a Mormon community in Mexico. However, he backed down after then-Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged him to reconsider.
Trump’s latest remarks signal an aggressive approach to issues that have long been central to his political platform, setting the stage for a contentious second term.
