President-elect Donald Trump said there were more important issues at stake than the transgender bathroom debate when pressed on the subject for his Time Person of the Year profile.
“I don’t want to get into the bathroom issue,” Trump said. “Because it’s a very small number of people we’re talking about, and it’s ripped apart our country, so they’ll have to settle whatever the law finally agrees. I am a big believer in the Supreme Court, and I’m going to go by their rulings, and so far, I think their rulings have been rulings that people are going along with, but we’re talking about a very small number of people, and we’re talking about it, and it gets massive coverage, and it’s not a lot of people.”
Trump was asked if he agreed with transgender Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., who said they should be focused on more important issues than the transgender bathroom debate led by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., that raged in Washington over the last month.
“I do agree with that. On that—absolutely. As I was saying, it’s a small number of people,” Trump said.
TRUMP NAMED 2024 PERSON OF THE YEAR AFTER WINNING PRESIDENCY, SURVIVING ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS
Trump was specifically asked about an election campaign ad his team ran focused on the message: “Trump is for us and [Kamala] Harris is for they/them.” The ad was widely viewed as effective in making his opponent seem out of the mainstream.
“Well, it’s true, Trump is for us,” Trump responded. “I mean, Trump is definitely for us, okay? And us is the vast, vast majority of people in this country. And also, I want to have all people treated fairly. You know, forget about majority or not majority. I want people to be treated well and fairly.”
Trump also took aim at Harris’ media strategy during the Time interview, suggesting she should have done more interviews. Harris avoided formal interviews at the outset of the campaign and stepped up her media appearances in the closing weeks.
“I think they made a big tactical mistake by literally not talking to the press, even if a really friendly, I mean, and they had almost all friendly, somebody would come up with a really friendly—like you guys, maybe—but a friendly interview, and they turned everybody down,” he said. “They wouldn’t do the basic. And people, including me, would start to say, is there something wrong with her? What’s wrong? Why wouldn’t you do some basic interviews?”
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Time officially named Trump its Person of the Year on Thursday, noting the president-elect’s political comeback and reshaping of the country.
“For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a-generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world, Donald Trump is Time’s 2024 Person of the Year,” the magazine wrote.
“Since he began running for President in 2015, perhaps no single individual has played a larger role in changing the course of politics and history than Trump,” Time wrote. “Trump is once again at the center of the world, and in as strong a position as he has ever been.”
Trump was also named Person of the Year in 2016, when he first won the presidency.
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