Just a few days after President Joe Biden signed off on a historic same-sex marriage law, former President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted a Log Cabin Republicans’ celebration of gay rights at Mar-a-Lago.
What he said: “We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard,” said Trump, who once described himself as the “most pro-gay president in American history.”
Zoom out: While opposition to gender ideology and infringements on religious freedom have continued to animate the right, most Republicans have embraced same-sex couples.
- A Gallup poll released in June found that 55% of Republicans support gay marriage.
The scene at Mar-a-Lago: “Hundreds of guests in tuxedos of all styles — sequined, quilted, velvet — and colorful gowns sipped on Trump-branded champagne and martinis. Between courses of steak and bite-sized Key lime pie, they danced to ‘YMCA’ and ‘Macho Man,’ the disco anthems at Trump rallies,” Politico reported.
Same energy: Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a newfound “MAGA” celebrity who’s been floated as a possible running mate for Trump, spoke at the event and expressed support for gay conservatives.
What social conservatives are saying: “It’s not just that Trump is indistinguishable from Biden on [the issue of LGBT rights], it’s that he is elevating the Log Cabin Republicans and LGBT ideology to a level it has never seen on the right,” conservative commentator Pedro Gonzalez tweeted in response to the news.
