Politics
Trans Democrat Rep. Confesses Party Went Too Woke, Too Fast—Admits Voters Are Pushing Back
One of the Left’s loudest progressive voices just let the truth slip—and it’s lighting up the internet.
Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), a biological male who identifies as transgender, admitted on The Ezra Klein Show that the Democratic Party has gone off the rails when it comes to pushing extreme gender ideology. McBride dropped a bombshell on the Democrat playbook: Americans weren’t ready for the radical LGBT agenda shoved down their throats—and now the backlash is hitting hard.
“Candidly, I think we’ve lost the art of persuasion,” McBride said to Klein. “I think that allowed for the misinformation, the disinformation — that well-coordinated, well-funded campaign — to really take advantage of that lack of understanding.”
McBride added, “We became absolutist — not just on trans rights but across the progressive movement — and we forgot that in a democracy we have to grapple with where the public authentically is and actually engage with it.”
Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride attends Day 365 Live! with Dylan Mulvaney at Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York on March 13, 2023
“We’re not in this position because of trans people,” McBride continued. “There was a very clear, well-coordinated, well-funded effort to demonize trans people, to stake out positions on fertile ground for anti-trans politics and to have those be the battlegrounds — rather than some of the areas where there’s more public support.”
Since taking office in January as the first transgender member of Congress, Rep. McBride has repeatedly become a flashpoint in culture‑war politics. Shortly after his swearing-in, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a resolution to bar McBride from using women’s restrooms on Capitol grounds. McBride ultimately complied and pledged to concentrate on legislative priorities, a move that prompted backlash from segments of the trans community.
In March, Rep. Keith Self (R‑TX) repeatedly “misgendered” McBride during a Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing—calling him “Mr. McBride”—leading to an abrupt adjournment after Democrats challenged him. McBride replied, “Thank you, Madame Chair,” later stating the GOP is “obsessed with culture‑war issues” and vowing to stay focused on policy.
WATCH:
“I also think there were requests that people perceived as a cultural aggression,” McBride said on the podcast. “We decided that we now have to say and fight for and push for every single perfect policy and cultural norm right now, regardless of whether the public is ready. And I think it misunderstands the role that politicians and, frankly, social movements have in maintaining proximity to public opinion, of walking people to a place.”
“It all goes back to this notion of: Get government out, let people live their lives, and let families and individuals make the best decisions for themselves,” McBride went on to say. “That should be the through line of our perspective, a libertarian approach to allowing trans people to live fully and freely. There are some complicated questions, but those questions shouldn’t be answered by politicians who are trying to exploit those issues for political gain.”
