Sophia Hutchins, a transgender, conservative consultant, has addressed criticism she has received for praising former President Donald Trump as the "best president" for the LGBTQ+ community in a new social media post.
Hutchins, who is known for being a close friend of Caitlyn Jenner, posted a video to Instagram on Tuesday evening responding to critics she has faced over her support for the former president, saying that she loves "watching the meltdown."
The popular, left-leaning X, formerly Twitter, account "Patriot Takes" has posted several videos of Hutchins' political remarks, and has shared photographs of her attending events at Mar-a-Lago in recent weeks, leading to criticism against her on social media while gathering hundreds of thousands of views online.
"How dare I, a Log Cabin Board Member; how dare I, a Republican, how dare I be a conservative, a MAGA supporter?" she said.
Hutchins goes on to explain why she is supporting Trump in the 2024 election.
"The facts are Donald Trump is the president for world peace. Donald Trump is the president for economic prosperity. Donald Trump is the president to get our country to get back on track, not just domestically but all across the globe," she said. "Put LGBT social issues aside, which by the way, he is the best president for LGBT people in the history of the country, folks."
Newsweek reached out to Hutchins and the Trump campaign for comment via email.
Where Does Donald Trump Stand on LGBTQ+ Issues?
Trump has at times sought to cast himself as more moderate on LGBTQ+ rights than other Republicans, infamously waving an upside-down pride flag while campaigning for president in 2016. He has said he is "fine" with same-sex marriage and has sold LGBTQ+ pride merchandise in the past.
Bu, he has still faced critics who say he has embraced traditionally conservative policies that would chip away at LGBTQ+ rights.
For instance, as president, he implemented a ban on transgender people from serving in the military, drawing widespread backlash and rescinded guidance urging public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms of their gender identity.
On the campaign trail, he has said he would sign executive orders to restrict access to gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. Supporters of these limits say people should be adults before making these health care decisions, but critics say supportive care helps improve the mental health of many transgender individuals, and that only a small minority of people who transition say they later regret doing so.
Most LGBTQ+ individuals have not supported the former president, according to polls.
According to CNN's exit polls of the 2020 presidential election, only 27 percent of people who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community voted for Trump, while 64 percent backed Biden.
Still, some Republicans are making an effort to win over LGBTQ+ voters ahead of the presidential election in November. The Log Cabin Republicans, the largest group of LGBTQ+ conservatives, held a fundraiser at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida over the weekend.
Richard Grenell, a gay man who served as Trump's ambassador to Germany, told Fox News Digital last Friday that the organization has seen an "explosion of membership."
Update 4/26/2024 10:01 a.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that Hutchins is a conservative consultant.
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