Former President Donald Trump slammed Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) after he vetoed a law that would have banned transgender surgeries on children.
Trump’s comments came just one day after DeWine vetoed a bill that would have banned gender procedures on minors and prevented boys from competing in girls’ sports. The former president also called on the Ohio legislature, where Republicans have a supermajority, to override DeWine’s veto.
“DeWine has fallen to the Radical Left. No wonder he gets loudly booed in Ohio every time I introduce him at Rallies, but I won’t be introducing him any more. I’m finished with this ‘stiff.’ What was he thinking. The bill would have stopped child mutilation, and prevented men from playing in women’s sports. Legislature will hopefully overturn. Do it FAST!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Though Trump was initially critical of DeWine after the 2020 election, he endorsed the governor’s re-election bid in 2022. DeWine received less than 50% of the Republican primary vote after he faced multiple challengers amid criticism from conservatives over his handling of COVID.
DeWine said at a press conference following his decision to veto the legislation that if the bill were to become law, the government would be encroaching on parents’ rights. He was widely criticized by Ohio Republicans for his decision, including Sen. J.D. Vance.
Vance slammed DeWine’s reasoning, saying that the governor pointing to parents’ rights to make medical decisions for their children is simply using “a slogan” to defend his veto.
“This is a slogan, not a justification. There are many things the law rightfully says no one, including parents, may do to children,” Vance wrote on X. “This slogan also ignores the extraordinary pressure from interest groups and big pharma to green light poorly understood, irreversible procedures. I’m extremely disappointed in the governor’s decision and hope it is overridden.”
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The procedures that would have been banned in the bill included mastectomies on girls who identify as boys and giving children cross sex hormones and puberty blockers, which have been linked to lack of bone development, fertility issues, and heart issues.
Trump has promised to support a national ban on transgender procedures, which he said were “child abuse” and “child sexual mutilation.”