POPULIST POLITICS AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF TRUMP’S RHETORIC

Abstract

This paper critically analyzes the intersection of populist politics and transgender rights, focusing on Donald Trump’s rhetoric and its policy manifestations. Drawing on scholarly definitions of populism as a “thin-centred ideology” and as a political style, the study examines how Trump’s discourse constructs an “us vs. them” narrative by scapegoating transgender individuals and invoking themes of “gender ideology” versus “common sense.” Trump’s rhetoric and actions, from tweets and rally speeches to executive orders like the transgender military ban and restrictions on gender-affirming care, exemplify right-wing populist strategies that target marginalized groups to galvanize a political base. The Methodology outlines a qualitative rhetorical and policy analysis of Trump’s public statements and administrative actions. The Analysis details specific policy examples (e.g., the ban on transgender military service, executive orders curtailing transgender healthcare and legal recognition) and shows how Trump’s language frames transgender rights as a threat to traditional values and social order. Real-world effects on transgender individuals’ access to healthcare, personal safety, mental health, and legal recognition are documented, illustrating the human impact of such populist rhetoric. The paper further explores the broader implications for liberal democracy, pluralism, and scientific knowledge, arguing that Trump’s anti-transgender rhetoric is a calculated populist strategy that undermines minority rights, erodes democratic norms of inclusion and expertise, and inflicts tangible harm on a vulnerable community. Empathetic and evidence-based, this analysis emphasizes the moral imperative to protect transgender rights as integral to upholding democratic values and human dignity.