"Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" was an American political advertisement commissioned by Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign to attack Kamala Harris during the 2024 United States presidential election.[1][2] Trump spent more money on the ad than any other in the campaign, including ones on housing, immigration, and the economy, combined.[3]
The ad featured an excerpt from an interview that Harris gave to National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund's Mara Keisling, where she said she supported tax-funded gender-affirming surgery for transgender people in prison.[2] The ad's kicker was "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you."[4]
The ads, which had several different variations, aired more than 30,000 times in every swing state.[2] The Trump campaign put the ads in heavy rotation during football games.[5]
Reception and analysis
editDemocrats did not formerly respond to the ads containing the slogan during the campaign period. Former President Bill Clinton privately expressed concern about the ad and encouraged the Harris campaign to respond to it. However, he was told by the campaign that the ads "were not necessarily having an impact" and never addressed his concerns publicly. The Harris campaign had originally planned to release an ad responding, but the ad ended up performing poorly in internal tests and was ultimately never run.[6]
In early October, Charlamagne tha God commended the ad for its effectiveness during a segment of The Breakfast Club,[5] saying, "Hell no, I don't want my taxpayer dollars going to that."[3] The Trump campaign then clipped his remarks and added them to another round of ads against his consent. Charlamagne issued a cease and desist order, demanding Trump cut him out of his campaign ad.[7]
According to an analysis by Future Forward, "Kamala is for they/them" was ranked as one of the Trump's most effective 30-second attack ads, shifting the race 2.7 percentage points in favor of Trump after viewers watched it.[6]
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also praised the commercial. "The most effective ad that the Trump campaign ran in this campaign was, you know, 'Kamala Harris is for they/them, and Donald Trump is for us.' That’s because most people don’t see themselves as they/them. Yet, the Democrats have spent more time talking about a trans issue, which, quite frankly, is infinitesimal..."[8]
In the aftermath of the election, Keisling told Semafor that the ads had negative ramifications for trans people. "The vice president was a public figure when I talked with her. And I guess, technically, I made myself a public figure that day," Keisling said. "What I have complaints about was the absolute disregard for what it would mean to trans children. There are innocent trans people all over the place, terrified — particularly trans kids and families of trans kids. And I don’t know how you do that, run these ads. I don’t know how you live with yourself."[9]
References
edit- ^ Nehamas, Nicholas; Gold, Michael; Tankersley, Jim; Epstein, Reid J.; Glueck, Katie; Levien, Simon J.; O’Brien, Rebecca Davis; Cameron, Chris; Corasaniti, Nick; Medina, Eduardo; Astor, Maggie; Balk, Tim; Goldmacher, Shane; Duehren, Andrew (2024-09-25). "Harris Keeps Focus on Economy With MSNBC Interview: Sept. 25 Campaign News". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ a b c Davis, Susan (2024-10-11). "Republican campaigns have been blanketing the airwaves with anti-trans ads". NPR. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ a b Barrón-López, Laura; Baldwin, Lorna; Lane, Sam; Barajas, Joshua; Sunkara, Satvi (2024-11-02). "Why anti-transgender political ads are dominating the airwaves this election". PBS News. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ "Coming to a TV near you". Donald J. Trump. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ a b Goldmacher, Shane (2024-10-08). "Trump and Republicans Bet Big on Anti-Trans Ads Across the Country". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ a b Goldmacher, Shane; Haberman, Maggie; Swan, Jonathan (2024-11-07). "How Trump Won, and How Harris Lost, the 2024 Presidential Election". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ Brown, Preezy (2024-10-21). "Charlamagne Files Cease And Desist Order Against Donald Trump Over Campaign Ad". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
- ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (2024-11-11). "Chris Christie: Most effective Trump ad was 'Kamala Harris is for they/them'". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
- ^ Weigel, David (2024-11-12). "After a stinging loss, Democrats debate where to draw the line on transgender rights". Semafor. Retrieved 2024-11-12.