Kamala is for they/them

"Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" is an American political advertisement commissioned by Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign to attack Kamala Harris during the 2024 United States presidential election.[1][2] Trump spent more money on the ad than any other in the campaign, including ones on housing, immigration, and the economy, combined.[3]

The ad features an excerpt from an interview that Harris gave to National Center for Transgender Equality Action Fund's Mara Keisling, where Harris supported tax-funded gender-affirming surgery for transgender prisoners.[2] The ad's kicker was "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you."[4]

The ads, which have several different variations, aired more than 30,000 times in every swing state.[2] The Trump campaign put the ads in heavy rotation during televised NFL and college football games.[5][6] According to an analysis by Future Forward, "Kamala is for they/them" was one of Trump's most effective 30-second attack ads, shifting the race 2.7 percentage points in favor of Trump after viewers watched it.[7] Conversely, according to polling done by Ground Media and released by GLAAD, the ad which contained the slogan did not have an impact on who viewers intended to vote for.[8][9]

  1. ^ Nehamas, Nicholas; Gold, Michael; Tankersley, Jim; Epstein, Reid J.; Glueck, Katie; Levien, Simon J.; O'Brien, Rebecca Davis; Cameron, Chris; Corasaniti, Nick; Medina, Eduardo; Astor, Maggie; Balk, Tim; Goldmacher, Shane; Duehren, Andrew (September 25, 2024). "Harris Keeps Focus on Economy With MSNBC Interview: Sept. 25 Campaign News". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Davis, Susan (October 11, 2024). "Republican campaigns have been blanketing the airwaves with anti-trans ads". NPR. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Barrón-López, Laura; Baldwin, Lorna; Lane, Sam; Barajas, Joshua; Sunkara, Satvi (November 2, 2024). "Why anti-transgender political ads are dominating the airwaves this election". PBS News. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Coming to a TV near you". Donald J. Trump. October 14, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Goldmacher, Shane (October 8, 2024). "Trump and Republicans Bet Big on Anti-Trans Ads Across the Country". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Davis, Susan. "GOP ads on transgender rights are dominating airwaves in the election's closing days". NPR. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference j774 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Kinsey Crowley (October 26, 2024). "Recent blitz of anti-trans ads attacks Harris. Advocates question their effectiveness, call them harmful". USA Today. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Ground Media study finds Trump's anti-trans ad fails politically, but dangerously erodes public support for trans people". Ground Media. October 26, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.