Labour must learn from Kamala Harris’s transgender muddle

Donald Trump’s remarkable election victory has been rightly attributed to the long shadow of inflation combined with mass illegal immigration across the southern border. While these factors dominated the national swing, an under-discussed element of the Republican campaign was the relentless targeting of voters in swing states with paid advertising linking Kamala Harris to radical trans ideology. Why was this – and what lessons should be drawn for Labour in the UK?

The ads were simple. Their tagline: ‘Kamala Harris is for they/them. President Trump is for you.’ They showed clips of her, from 2019, pledging her support for sex-change operations for prisoners. Others referenced Democrats supporting the right of trans-identifying males to play in women’s sport.

It’s been reported that the Republicans spent at least $17 million (£13 million) on these ads – some estimates say much more – which aired over 30,000 times, including in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada.