Trump questions acceptance of transgender people as he courts his base at Moms for Liberty gathering

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lamented the growing acceptance of transgender Americans Friday in an appearance at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a national nonprofit that has spearheaded efforts to get mentions of LGBTQ+ identity and structural racism out of K-12 classrooms.

Trump said transgender women should not be allowed to play in women's sports and said access to gender-affirming health care should be restricted. He also lashed out at critics who have accused him of using Arlington National Cemetery for a campaign photo op.

But he largely stuck to his favorite topics during an hourlong “fireside chat” in Washington, where he lashed out at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, deplored illegal immigration and reminisced about his parents' marriage, his path to being the reality television star of “The Apprentice” and the debate that ended Biden's reelection campaign.

“Our country is being poisoned. And your schools and your children are suffering greatly because they’re going into the classrooms and taking disease, and they don’t even speak English," Trump said of immigrants crossing the border illegally. "It’s crazy.”