Caitlyn Jenner no longer supports President Trump. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Jenner expressed her regret at having mistakenly believed that the Trump administration supported the transgender community.
“Believing that I could work with Trump and his administration to support our community was a mistake,” she wrote, citing the recent memo that suggests an infant’s sex at birth should be permanently linked to their gender identity, as well as the rollback of Obama-era protections designed to help trans students.
Jenner took a moment to explain her thought process behind her original choice to back Trump during his campaign, saying she saw “fertile ground” to change minds within the Republican party.
“Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to claim to support this valuable, vulnerable community, and I was encouraged by the applause he received when he said at the Republican National Convention in July 2016 that he would stand up for the LGBTQ community,” she said.
But those have proven to be empty promises, Jenner said. “This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply, personally hurt me.”
Jenner closed the piece by expressing her determination to affect change. “I will still work with anyone who is committed to help our community,” she said, recognizing that her “unique position of privilege” gives her the ability to do just that.