GLAAD has documented the anti-LGBTQ history of Donald Trump, including his policies and efforts to undermine public safety and bolster hate groups. The full anti-LGBTQ record is available on GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Tracker. Public safety, amid rising anti-LGBTQ hate and extremism, is a top concern for LGBTQ voters this election season.
Trump’s ties to violent extremism include:
- Overtly supporting QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory which claims that “Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshiping pedophiles in government, business, and the media.” QAnon adherents have been tied to many violent acts, including the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2023.
- Hosting a dinner for Libs of TikTok’s owner Chaya Raichik in January 2023. Libs of TikTok is an anti-LGBTQ extremist account whose post have preceded dozens of bomb threats and targeted harassment against drag shows, schools, healthcare facilities, and other LGBTQ-inclusive places.
- Telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” in the November 2020 presidential debate. The Proud Boys are a far-right extremist group which have become increasingly involved in anti-LGBTQ activity such as showing up armed to drag shows.
- Claiming that there were “some very fine people on both sides” of the 2017 far-right extremist rally in Charlottesville, VA. The rally, which was organized by a collection of neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups like the KKK, led to the tragic murder of Heather Heyer.
Trump’s role in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol:
- On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump directed his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol to “take back our country” amidst Congress’s attempts to certify the results of the 2020 election. The ensuing attack saw thousands of pro-Trump rioters scaling the walls of the Capitol, smashing windows, attacking Capitol Police, threatening violence against lawmakers, and the fatal shooting of one insurrectionist.
- The House January 6th Committee’s final report found that Trump “criminally engaged in a multi-part conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election and failed to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol.”
- Trump has since made the January 6th attack a cornerstone of his 2024 presidential campaign, including calling the insurrectionists “hostages,” playing recordings of January 6th defendants singing the national anthem at campaign rallies, and considering pardons for those convicted.
Trump continues to support extremist groups and hateful ideologies:
- During the presidential debate on June 27, Donald Trump was once again given the opportunity to denounce his on-stage call to action for the Proud Boys in 2020. Trump chose not to respond and instead changed the topic.
- In December 2023, Trump acknowledged that his statement about undocumented immigrants “poisoning the blood” of America came from Adolf Hitler and insisted that though Hitler used the words “in a much different way,” the statement “is true. They’re destroying the blood of the country, they’re destroying the fabric of our country, and we’re going to have to get them out.”
The former Trump administration had extensive ties to extremist groups and hateful ideologies:
- Roger Stone, a longtime friend and consultant for Trump, frequently worked with violent far-right extremists in the lead-up to the January 6th attack, including employing members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys as part of his security detail and social media team.
- Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, also used members of the Oath Keepers as part of his personal security detail. Since leaving the Trump administration, Flynn has become enamored with QAnon as his new business ventures regularly center conspiracy theories regarding cabals of evil elites.
- Stephen Miller, Trump’s former immigration policy advisor, has a well-known history of sharing links from white nationalist websites like VDARE and the American Renaissance. These sites frequently promote the “Great Replacement Theory,” an anti-immigrant conspiracy theory that has been cited in multiple far-right mass shootings.
- Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, ran Breitbart News from 2012–2016, a website which Bannon himself called “the platform for the alt-right.” Breitbart News frequently posts anti-LGBTQ articles, such as “Survivors of the Trans Panic” and “Daughters’ Abduction by Gender ‘Cult’.”
GLAAD’s data shows public safety is a top concern for LGBTQ voters:
- In 2024 alone, GLAAD documented at least 481 anti-LGBTQ incidents nationwide, including 131 bomb threats, 106 cases of vandalism, and 28 violent assaults.
- 49% of LGBTQ voters reported experiencing real-world harassment or bullying caused by the current state of political discourse in our country.
- 72% of LGBTQ voters experience negative impacts to their mental health and emotional well-being caused by the current state of political discourse in our country.