Republicans rage after Trump appears to soften stance on trans care

President Donald Trump appeared to change the wording of a policy proposal targeting gender-affirming care for transgender minors on Thursday, raising questions online about whether his position shifted within the span of a few hours.

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In a post on Truth Social at 10:47 a.m., Trump outlined several priorities under what he called “THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.” The fifth item read: “NO TRANSGENDER MUTILATION SURGERY FOR CHILDREN, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE PARENTS.”

But in a second post at 4:12 p.m., the same list appeared again with one notable change. The fifth item now read: “NO TRANSGENDER MUTILATION SURGERY FOR CHILDREN.”

The language referencing parental approval had disappeared. Trans minors already need permission from parents or guardians in order to access medical care.

Related: Trump administration announces end to gender-affirming care for transgender veterans

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The White House’s official Facebook account also shared the version without the parental consent language. The earlier version appears to have been removed from Truth Social, though it remains visible in screenshots circulating online and in the White House’s Facebook post.

The discrepancy drew attention from U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican who represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District and has frequently criticized Trump despite being in the same party.

On X, Massie posted screenshots of the two versions side by side and wrote, “His post transitioned.”

Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, a former Trump acolyte turned foe who resigned from Congress in January after Trump withdrew his support for her over her support for the release of the Epstein Files, appeared livid with him over appearing to leave room for some access to gender-affirming care for kids. Greene was the cosponsor of a bill to criminalize care for trans kids.

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"Trump now supports transgender mutilation surgeries of children if their parents want it," she complained on X. "The House passed my bill, the Protect Children's Innocence Act, that makes it a felony to trans any child under 18, even if their parents are supporting or pushing it on their own children."

Whether the change reflects a substantive policy shift, a correction, or simply revised messaging remains unclear. The White House did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment.

The ambiguity arrives amid a broader effort by Trump and his allies to make transgender rights a central political issue.

Trump has repeatedly invoked the phrase “transgender for everybody,” a line he uses in speeches to suggest Democrats are attempting to impose gender transition broadly across society. As The Advocate has previously reported, the phrase often appears even when the topic at hand has little to do with transgender people.

Surgical procedures for transgender minors are extremely rare in the United States, and genital surgeries for minors are almost never performed. Most gender-affirming care for young people instead involves counseling, social transition, puberty blockers, or hormone therapy.

Even when surgeries are performed on minors, they are overwhelmingly chest-related procedures, such as top surgery for older teens.

Research has also found that the majority of gender-affirming surgical procedures performed on minors are actually done on cisgender patients, not transgender ones. For example, a Harvard study analyzing insurance data found that 97 percent of breast reductions performed on minors were for cisgender boys with gynecomastia, a condition that causes enlarged breast tissue.

Other common procedures for minors include breast reductions or enhancements for cisgender girls, operations that, medically speaking, also fall under the umbrella of gender-affirming care because they help align someone’s physical characteristics with their gender identity.

Medical groups say treatment decisions for transgender youth are made through a careful process involving doctors, mental health professionals, and families. Major organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Endocrine Society, support access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth when clinically appropriate.