“Transgender Operations on Illegal Aliens” is a catchphrase that quickly became a meme after former President Donald Trump uttered it during his September 10, 2024, presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. During the debate, Trump made several statements that drew attention for their mix of creativity, inaccuracy, and confusion.
Out of the 67 million viewers who tuned in, many focused on this particular phrase, which was an indictment of Harris’ support for taxpayer-funded medical care for transgender individuals.
In 2019, Harris answered a survey question that read: “As President, will you use your executive authority to ensure that transgender and nonbinary people who rely on the state for medical care—including those in prison and immigration detention—will have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care? If yes, how will you do so?”
The vice president responded yes, adding, “It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition.”
Meanwhile, Trump has promised to ban taxpayer funding for sex-change surgeries, including gender-affirming care for detainees under a section of his 2024 Republican Party Platform document titled “Republicans Will End Left-wing Gender Insanity.”
What exactly did Donald Trump say?
She went out in Minnesota and wanted to let criminals that killed people, that burned down Minneapolis … she went out and raised money to get them out of jail. She did things that no one would ever think of.
Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison. This is a radical left liberal that would do this. She wants to confiscate your guns and she would never allow fracking in Pennsylvania.
The moment came 42 minutes into the debate.
Many of the memes born of Trump’s statement featured literal aliens (as in, extra-terrestrials), poking fun at the fact that it’s been speculated the former president doesn’t fully understand the difference between galactic beings and those he calls “illegal aliens,” or foreign nationals entering the United States illegally.
‘Transgender Operations on Illegal Aliens’ becomes a meme
More 2024 presidential debate memes:
- ‘They’re eating the dogs’: An old dog whistle learns new tricks
- ‘I have concepts of a plan’: A meme for the unprepared
- 2024 Trump vs. Biden presidential debate memes
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