ATLANTA — Donald Trump made his opposition to transgender rights a centerpiece of his closing argument ahead of Election Day, using derogatory language and misrepresentations to portray an extremely narrow segment of the U.S. population as a threat to national identity.

former president and Republican candidate campaign and aligned political action committees spent tens of millions of dollars on ads attacking the Democratic nominee and the Vice President Kamala Harris For her previous statements supporting transgender rights.

Rally speeches now include a fake video mocking trans people and their place in the US military. Assembly, interspersed with clips A member of the Vietnam War movie “Full Metal Jacket,” he is often loudly booed at Trump rallies. Unfounded allegations about female athletes and its mocking impression What he’s saying is a trans woman lifting weights.

“We will purge transgender madness from our schools and keep men out of women’s sports,” Trump said in his final speech. Madison Square Garden rallyThere’s a roar of approval from the crowd of more than 20,000.

His running mate, J.D. Vance, claimed Thursday that white teenagers in the “middle class or upper middle class” may self-identify as transgender to more easily get into elite universities. In doing so, Vance was citing conservative anger over affirmative action and other programs aimed at historically disenfranchised groups.

“Is there a dynamic where when you’re trans, that’s the way to deny your white privilege?” Vance said this while speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan. “The only social signifier available in this hyper-aroused mindset is that gender becomes non-binary.”