A President Donald Trump loyalist misgendered Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), who is a transgender woman, on the House floor.
While presiding over the House on Thursday, Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) introduced McBride as “the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride.”
Rather than take the bait, however, she opted to eviscerate the Trump administration from a policy standpoint.
ADVERTISEMENT
Without missing a beat, McBride launched into a five-minute speech highlighting how the early days of Trump’s presidency have harmed Delawareans.
“Thank you, Madam Speaker,” said McBride, the first openly transgender Congress member in history. “When I was elected, I promised to work with anyone who would help Delaware and Delawareans and to stand up to anyone who seeks to harm my state.”
“Instead of seeking common ground,” she continued, “the Trump administration from day one has waged an unrelenting attack on working people in Delaware and across the country, seeking to freeze funding for first responders, domestic violence shelters, schools, and health-care facilities that my constituents rely on.”
McBride said that people from her state—including senior citizens, students, and doctors—were scared and outraged by the funding freeze.
“It has thrown communities across Delaware and around the country into chaos, and that is their goal,” she said, adding: ”They want to prove that government can’t work by making it not work.”
McBride concluded her speech by vowing to continue her work to ensure the government serves its citizens.
On Saturday, as the video of the misgendering was making the rounds on social media, McBride wrote on X, “There’s an entire speech after I’m recognized by the acting speaker that’s worth a watch much more than the 15-second video of me being called on.”
The exchange came a day after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), whose antics have defined her tenure in Congress, erupted into an anti-trans rant on the House floor that culminated in her shouting, “tranny, tranny, tranny!”
After regaining order, Republican James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the oversight committee, said he would look into whether Mace’s use of the word, which is considered an anti-trans slur by the LGBTQ+ community, constituted a violation of House rules.
McBride has faced attacks from Republicans for her gender identity since she earned election in November.
Before McBride had even officially assumed office, Mace led a successful push to ban her—and all trans women—from using the women’s bathrooms on Capitol Hill.
In that case, McBride also took the high road, saying that she would respect the rule and was more concerned about advocating for her constituents.
“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms,” she said at the time.
