Trump targets Democratic Senate candidate with an anti-trans slur. She has a very different response

President Donald Trump targeted Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews with an anti-trans slur while urging South Carolina voters to support Republican Senator Darline Graham, according to NBC News. The remarks come as Senate Democrats are fighting to get the majority.

In a post made on Truth Social, he referred to her as ‘trannie’ three times in the post and said that Andrews was “not for South Carolina.” He urged voters in the state to reject her in the upcoming election, adding that, “And South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her.” Trump often uses insulting nicknames and slurs to target the opposition he dislikes.

He endorsed Graham, who is running to keep the Senate seat Andrews was appointed to earlier this year and described her as “the finest, most reliable and one of the smartest people [he] has ever known.” She has relied heavily on Trump’s endorsements to make her case in South Carolina. However, Graham’s campaign did not issue any statement regarding the controversy.

Andrews did not focus on the insult

With Trump’s approval rate already hitting a low, these new remarks did not sit well with human rights and LGBTQ advocacy groups. Online users also stood up in support of Andrews, with one post on X urging people to vote for her in the upcoming election.

Rather than directly responding to Trump’s remarks, Andrews turned her attention to her campaign and the issues she says matter to South Carolina voters. In a statement made on X, she said “As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina.”

She added that she would “work with anyone to put South Carolina first,” arguing that lowering costs and improving life for families would require people to work together. “If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you.” In an interview with Forbes, Andrews made clear that she does not support gender-affirming surgery for minors or transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, also called out Trump’s remarks, describing them as “the sad, disgusting, pathetic diatribes of a lame duck president with record-low approvals.” Ramiro Sarmiento, a spokesperson for the organization, further described it as “So low, in fact, he’s having to campaign in deep red territory in a desperate attempt to shore up support ahead of the midterms.”