Donald Trump had many plans in place to help him win reelection. But this plan stands out above the rest.
And this inside look into the top Trump strategy that won him the 2024 election will surprise you.
In the closing days of Donald Trump’s successful 2024 campaign, he zeroed in on a potent culture war issue, a strategic move that a key conservative activist says was pivotal in swaying swing voters and securing the win.
“Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you,” the narrator of Trump’s ad declared, making a clear contrast in values that struck a chord with many voters.
The ad highlighted concerns over men participating in women’s sports and Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for policies that permitted incarcerated individuals in California to undergo gender reassignment procedures. This messaging reflected the work of Terry Schilling, president of the American Principles Project (APP), who had been championing these ads since 2019.
Back then, Schilling felt the issue was “too premature” to gain traction among conservatives. But during the Biden-Harris administration, as debates around gender ideology took center stage, Schilling saw an opening for the issue to resonate deeply with conservative voters.
The American Principles Project poured tens of millions of dollars into ads spotlighting the transgender issue nationwide. Schilling even made a trip to Mar-a-Lago to urge Trump to seize this unique opportunity.
“The cue of giving s*x change procedures to inmates is so radical, it’s so extreme, and it’s one of those issues that touches on not just the culture war, but the economy, too,” Schilling said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
He noted that, for many families struggling to make ends meet, seeing government funds directed toward gender reassignment surgeries for federal prisoners was particularly upsetting. “They’re struggling to be able to afford to send their kids to a decent school… and then they see that their government is paying to give people that committed very serious crimes… s*x change procedures that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“When you go to prison, you have to lose some rights, and it was an issue that really resonated,” Schilling added.
Schilling also credited Trump for his branding skills, stating, “I have heard from several people that that maniac-madman-genius actually came up with that closing line of, ‘Kamala Harris is for they/them, Donald Trump’s for you.’ He’s so good at the branding.”
This year, APP saw record-breaking donations, with a 50% increase in funding, from $12 million to $18 million. Schilling attributed this growth to their commitment to research, ad production, and message refinement, all aimed at pushing Republican candidates to prioritize the transgender issue. He estimated that Republicans spent over $215 million on ads centered around this topic in recent elections.
In 2023, Schilling’s organization produced an ad featuring women’s advocate Riley Gaines, endorsing Daniel Cameron in his race against Democratic Governor Andy Beshear in Kentucky. APP also released a report, “The Failed Red Wave: Lessons from the GOP Letdown,” which argued that the GOP underperformed in 2022 partly because it did not capitalize on Democrats’ cultural extremism on transgender issues.
This summer, APP launched an $18 million campaign focused on exposing the stance of Kamala Harris and other Democrats on transgenderism. “We spent over seven figures on polling and focus groups and message testing, and we’ve been… beating our heads against the wall with candidates up and down the ballot. And 2024 was the year that it finally broke through,” Schilling said.
The Biden-Harris administration’s actions in recent months gave further momentum to this messaging. In June, health officials reportedly urged the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to drop age restrictions on gender surgery guidelines for adolescents, which was confirmed by unsealed court documents. Meanwhile, over a dozen states have enacted restrictions on transgender procedures for minors, with several declaring such procedures a felony.
Blue states, however, have enacted “sanctuary state” laws that shield medical providers performing transgender procedures on minors from legal repercussions.
Trump’s emphasis on this issue has, unsurprisingly, sparked pushback. The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union pledged to “combat” Trump’s proposed policies on issues such as abortion, immigration, and LGBTQ rights. The ACLU filed 434 lawsuits against Trump during his first term and plans to continue the legal opposition.
In an open letter, the organization affirmed its intent to challenge policies affecting LGBTQ rights, including those restricting transgender individuals’ access to women’s spaces and sports.
The culture war messaging clearly energized Trump’s base, giving him a historic blowout victory over Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
