Trump wedges in mention of "sex changes for children" during speech to Michigan autoworkers

Speaking to workers at a non-union auto supplier outside Detroit, Trump targeted EV, Biden and the trans community

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published September 27, 2023 9:35PM (EDT)

Donald Trump speaks to guests during a campaign stop at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Donald Trump speaks to guests during a campaign stop at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer, on September 27, 2023 in Clinton Township, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

While the other GOP presidential hopefuls readied themselves for Wednesday's debate, Donald Trump spent a portion of his evening at Drake Enterprises, an automotive parts manufacturer and supplier in Macomb County, Michigan, addressing a crowd of mostly non-union workers about the dangers of electric vehicles and — apropos of nothing — "sex changes for children." 

Trump's comment against the trans community was sandwiched in-between blocks of Biden bashing and comments on how windmills "don't work," and it stood out for its pointed randomness.

To a frothed up crowd yelling encouragements, Trump let it fly, saying, "In a Trump administration, gasoline engines will be allowed." Which registered as reasonable. But then he followed that with, "And sex changes for children will be banned. Is that okay?"

The cheers that followed indicated that many agreed it was, although it should be noted that an AP News article posted earlier this year debunks such things as being a possibility.  

"The general recommendation is for gender affirming surgeries to be done after age 18 with limited exceptions," Dr. Michael Irwig, director of transgender medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, wrote in an email to the outlet. "The patient should always be of an age where they have adequate maturity including the ability to understand the potential risks and benefits of any treatment."

No age limitation, however, has been set for understanding how windmills and electric vehicles work. 

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