Former President Donald Trump is making a bid to attract LGBT voters away from President Joe Biden ahead of the upcoming general election, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
On Saturday, former first lady Melania Trump is scheduled to host a fundraiser with the Log Cabin Republicans, which bills itself as “the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies.”
“For more than 40 years, we have promoted the fight for equality through our state and local chapters, our full-time office in Washington, D.C., and our federal and state political action committees,” the group states on its website.
Ric Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and the first openly gay person to serve in a Cabinet-level position is also expected to attend the fundraiser.
LGBT voters constituted approximately 7% of the electorate in the 2020 general election, according to the Examiner, with 93% of them reportedly voting. The demographic now makes up 8% of the adult population, and over 20% of Generation Z individuals identify as LGBT.
In the 2020 election, about 14% of gay votes went to Trump, more than double the number in 2016, the Examiner reported.
Charles Moran, president of the Log Cabin group, believes that Trump can significantly increase LGBT support this year, citing Trump’s appointment of Grenell, commitments to end the HIV epidemic in 2019, and efforts to combat the criminalization of homosexuality globally.
“The mainstream media and even the gay media doesn’t report on this now because there’s this narrative that exists that Donald Trump is anti-gay,” Moran said.
He emphasized Trump’s personal history of supporting LGBT inclusion, noting Trump’s philanthropic, business and political involvement in LGBT causes.
A poll of 600 LGBT voters found that 54% expressed intention to vote or lean toward voting for Biden, while 28% said they are planning or leaning toward voting for Trump.
“LGBTQ+ voters are a force to be reckoned with. They were critical to our victory in 2020, and they will be critical to winning again this November,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez stated.
“Donald Trump and his extremist allies are running to gut LGBTQ+ rights and erase history as their top priorities. LGBTQ+ Americans deserve leaders who will fight for every American’s freedom and dignity. That’s what President Biden and Vice President Harris have done throughout their time in office, and what they will do if reelected, including pressing Congress to pass the Equality Act.”
