Eric Trump on Tuesday said on Fox & Friends that he’s “part of” the LGBT community. And the internet couldn’t help but wonder, did he just come out as gay?
The statement came as part of a Fox & Friends segment about “secret Trump voters.” The panel discussed Brett Stephens’ column in the New York Times about a woman in her 50s who, despite being a registered Democrat and lesbian, said she will vote for President Donald Trump in November.
The woman, identified only as Chris, told the Times that “being a lesbian who’s voting for Trump is like coming out of the closet again.” She pointed to the bumps in her 401(k) and the stock market as sufficient reasons to sway her vote.
“I don’t care about Afghanistan and the Middle East,” Chris told the Times. “I care about having a job.”
Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt asked Eric Trump if he’s “counting on” the so-called “secret voter” to help his dad win the upcoming election.
“Ainsley that person’s there, I’m telling you I see it every day,” Trump responded. “The LGBT community, they are incredible. And you should see how they come out in full force for my father every single day. I’m part of that community, and we love the man.”
Of course, it’s unlikely that Eric Trump meant to announce on Fox News that he is literally a member of the LGBTQ community. Given the Trump administration’s track record on LGBTQ rights, especially the systematic rollback of transgender rights, it’s hard to imagine the president’s son publicly coming out.
But that didn’t stop the real LGBTQ community from latching onto the statement.
“eric trump coming out is not the birthday gift this homosexual wanted,” tweeted Bobby Lewis, a researcher for liberal watchdog Media Matters for America.
Maybe Trump just doesn’t know what LGBT stands for, surmised one Twitter user.
Star Trek star and regular Twitter pundit George Takei said Trump’s LGBT statement “is like me saying I’m part of the fantasy football community.”
“I might think I know what a ‘tight end’ and a ‘wide receiver’ are,” Takei wrote, “but I would be sorely mistaken.”
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