Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term as president has sparked outrage for a number of reasons. A series of controversial comments made by the president during his speech have drawn heavy public scrutiny.
Trump’s annual speech was filled with statements and remarks that have caused quite a stir. For starters, he began his speech by stating that America was nothing before he came into power, a rhetoric that has been frequently pushed by him.
While highlighting a single girl’s story, Trump expressed his views regarding the entire transgender community. According to critics, Trump politically targeted the community and called for a recession of their rights in a controversial statement.
Sage Blair was present as a special guest at the event, along with her mother. The teenager is currently involved in a legal battle with her school authorities.
Blair’s parents have taken legal action against the Appomattox County school after accusing them of making major decisions about her gender identity without informing them. Her case has made headlines and sparked debate on gender rights.
Donald J Trump recognized Sage Blair. Here’s her story:
At 14, Sage Blair (adopted by her grandmother Michele after early trauma & foster care) struggled with severe gender dysphoria, depression, self-harm, & a recent psych hospitalization.
In Aug 2021, starting high school… pic.twitter.com/OD7AEk9AOh
— Fortune_Cooked (@fortune_cooked) February 25, 2026
Trump used Blair’s example to hurl a political attack on the transgender community, stating that they should be stripped of their rights. He then announced that Blair has obtained a full scholarship to Liberty University.
“Surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will. We must ban it, and we must ban it immediately,” the president declared.
While Trump told the story of Sage Blair being “transitioned” behind her parents’ back, PBS viewers saw transgender Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) glowering. Would anyone ask this legislator to address what happened to Sage? pic.twitter.com/pCqHi8kFM6
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) February 25, 2026
He noticed that none of the Democrats present at the event supported his controversial stance and called them “crazy.”
This comes amid other controversies that are currently plaguing the Trump administration. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is accused of redacting high-profile names from the Epstein files. On the other hand, many have alleged that healthcare costs in the country are now at an all-time high.
The Trump administration is also facing backlash across the globe over its immigration policies.
Brandon Wolf, the national press secretary of the Human Rights Campaign, dubbed Trump’s remarks against the transgender community a “distraction” tactic. The Trump government wants to “wrestle away medical freedom from American families,” he said.
“Just the latest attempt from Trump and his fellow MAGA politicians,” Wolf added, “(to) distract from their complete failure to solve this country’s pressing issues.”
Wolf noted that at a time when the Trump administration should focus on greater threats, it is trying to spread prejudice about the transgender community. He stated, “Masked federal agents are still terrorizing our streets, and the president is still all over the Epstein files. No amount of transphobic fear mongering will change the reality of the state of our union.”
