While Trump is putting out all the distractions that he can right now, the threat of the Epstein “client list” continues to loom large. Surprisingly, the heart of that problem for Trump is connected to the anti-trans hate campaign that he has stoked among MAGA Republicans.

A group of Republicans who have previously been very loyal to Trump have built a large part of their platform around protecting children. While that’s an admirable political position to take, too often, rather than making moves that will lead to real support for children in dangerous situations, it has amounted to an excuse for bigotry and hate targeting the LGBTQ+ community.