Critics Decry Trump's 'Demented Lie' About What Happens To Kids At School

Former President Donald Trump has again claimed, falsely, that schools are secretly providing gender-affirming surgeries to children, sparking backlash against his transphobic, fear-mongering and frankly ridiculous rhetoric.

The Republican nominee went off on a tangent about “pushing transgender ideology on minor children” during a rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

“Your child goes to school and they take your child. It was a he and comes back a she. And they do this. And they do it, and often without parental consent,” he said.

The absurd claim was denounced by his critics on social media, who called it “ugly,” “hateful” and an “absolutely demented lie.”

Trump has made versions of that claim on several occasions.

“Can you imagine you’re a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,’ and your son comes back with a brutal operation? Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?” Trump said at a rally in Wisconsin last month.

As a CNN fact check pointed out in September, any gender-affirming medical care legally requires the consent of both parents or guardians of a person under 18. There is no evidence that any U.S. schools have obtained gender-affirming surgeries for children without parental knowledge, and the Trump campaign was unable to substantiate the former president’s claim when contacted by CNN.

Trump’s latest use of the lie attracted responses from prominent critics such as the conservative attorney George Conway, MSNBC host Katie Phang and former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.).

Some parents who reacted said they were more concerned about their children not returning from school at all thanks to Republican resistance to