Trump Makes Seemingly False Claim About 'the Gay Vote' & His Relationship with LGBTQ+ Americans

Donald Trump weighed in on his relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and made some seemingly inaccurate remarks about the support he’s received from the group in voting booths.

While on Fox News’ The Five on Thursday (March 25), the president, 79, was asked to comment on rumors that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son and successor of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was gay.

He said he’d been told that was the case, adding that it would “put him off to a bad start in that particular country.”

The president then went off-topic, discussing women and LGBTQ+ community members who support Palestine. He also touched on “the gay vote” in America.

Keep reading to find out more…

During the interview, Trump that he “sort of [has] to smile to myself” when he sees women and the LGBTQ+ community supporting Palestine.

He explained, “But they kill women if you don’t wear… certain cloth all over your face, you have no chance of living.” As for the LGBTQ+ community, he said, “But they kill gays. They kill ‘em instantly. They throw ‘em off buildings.”

Trump then shifted the conversation to himself, saying that he thought he was “united very well with the gay vote.”

“I even played the gay national anthem as my walk off, okay?” he said, seemingly referring to the Village People‘s hit “Y.M.C.A.” He opined that using the song “probably” helped him make inroads with the community.

“But I did great. No Republicans ever got the gay vote like I did. And I’m very proud of it. I think that’s great. Perhaps it’s because I’m from New York City, I don’t know,” he speculated.

The president’s claim is only partially correct

Citing exit poll data, NBC News reported that Trump did receive approximately 27% of the vote from the LGBTQ+ population in the 2020 election, which he lost to former President Joe Biden.

However, in the 2024 election, he suffered major losses with the community, only receiving 12% of the LGBTQ+ vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris‘ 86%.

Even when he received 27% of the LGBTQ+ vote, that is still only enough to tie the percentage that John McCain received when running against former President Barack Obama in 2008, according to the Roper Center and the Advocate.

In 2012, The Williams Institute reported that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney only received 22% support from the community, while Obama sailed to reelection with 76% of the queer vote.

The Washington Blade reported that Trump only won 14% of the LGBTQ+ vote in 2016, still beating Hillary Clinton in the election despite her receiving 78% of the community’s support.