Trump boasts about his popularity with ‘the gays’, claims CIA told him new Iranian leader is LGBTQ+
Donald Trump has claimed the CIA told him Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei (R) ‘is gay’
President Trump recently called into Fox News to give a typically rambling interview to the hosts; about claims that US intelligence has suggested that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is gay.
Mojtaba Khamenei was named Supreme Leader of Iran following the death of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by US and Israeli forces at the end of February, kickstarting the current Middle East conflict.
During the conversation, when asked if the CIA had told Trump that Khamenei, described as “Ayatollah Jr.” in the interview, is gay, Trump responded: “They did say that… I think a lot of people are saying that – which puts him off to a bad start in that particular country.”
Iran’s regime actively persecutes and discriminates against LGBTQ+ people. Same-sex sexual intercourse is criminalised, and people found guilty of engaging in it face severe punishments, including execution.
Additionally, the Iranian legal system offers no protections for LGBTQ+ people, who are forced to hide their sexual orientation and gender identity to avoid arrest, imprisonment, abuse and death.
There are also reports that queer youth are forced to undergo brutal conversion therapy in Iran.
Trump also spoke about Palestine during the interview, referring to the “Gays for Palestine” movement, claiming “They kill gays. They kill them instantly. They throw them off buildings.”
Treatment of LGBTQ+ people varies by region in Palestine. According to LGBTQ+ rights tracker Equaldex: “Homosexual activity is legal in the West Bank but is punishable by up to 10 years in Gaza, although enforcement is difficult so arrests are believed to be rare.”
Continuing the interview, Trump claimed that he actually polled “very well” with the LGBTQ+ community and referred to the song he used for rallies, ‘YMCA’ by the Village People, as the ‘gay national anthem’.
“No Republican’s ever gotten the gay vote like I did and I’m very proud of it,” he said.
Trump’s claims to have been popular with the LGBTQ+ community in the 2024 election are contradicted by NBC News exit polls, which show that Vice President Kamala Harris led President-elect Donald Trump 86% to 12% among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters.
