MSNBC host Jen Psaki on Sunday attacked Democrats who argue that the party’s focus on transgender issues helped sink Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid, accusing them of "falling prey to right-wing propaganda."
"This is a good time for Democrats to self-reflect about what went wrong and what to do better moving forward," the former White House press secretary said on her show. "But during that process, it’s important not to yield to manufactured panic and to align with the actual facts before making sweeping claims."
Psaki pointed to Rep. Seth Moulton (D., Mass.), who told the New York Times he has "two little girls" and doesn't "want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete." He later added on MSNBC that the Democratic Party is "out of touch." Moulton has since faced a primary threat and left-wing protesters outside his district office.
"Echoing and adopting the panic from the other side is not leading," Psaki said. "It’s not meeting people where they are. It’s simply falling prey to right-wing propaganda without checking the facts first."
Psaki said the GOP is exaggerating the prevalence of trans issues, arguing that the transgender population is minuscule and that there are few trans athletes affecting women’s sports. She accused Republicans of using ads during the election "to amplify their bad faith attacks to the point that people do have concerns, as misguided and misinformed as those concerned may be."
But Psaki ignored trans policies that Democrats have spearheaded.
The Biden-Harris administration, for example, tried changing language to Title IX, the federal ban on sex discrimination, by replacing sex with gender identity. Lawsuits alleging that the move would allow males in female spaces like locker rooms and bathrooms have stalled the proposal, which will likely be rolled back under President-elect Donald Trump.
As a presidential candidate in 2020, Harris supported allowing illegal immigrants and prisoners to use taxpayer dollars for sex-change surgeries. Psaki criticized Trump campaign ads that called out the vice president’s support.
"If that sounds like a particularly obscure issue, it is because it applies to a tiny group of people," Psaki said.
Congressional Democrats have similarly pushed transgender issues in recent years, such as through the Equality Act, which would have made gender identity a protected class. They also championed a Transgender Bill of Rights, which would allow student-athletes to compete on teams aligning with their gender identity. Both efforts have failed several times.