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Years earlier, he overturned the rules of his own Miss Universe pageant to allow a transgender contestant to compete. He said Caitlyn Jenner could use any bathroom she wanted at Trump Tower. He was the first president to name an openly gay person to a Cabinet-level position.

However, since he returned to office this year, Trump engaged in what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ+ community. The threat from the White House contrasts with World Pride celebrations taking place this month in Washington.

"We are in the darkest period right now since the height of the AIDS crisis," said Kevin Jennings, who leads Lambda Legal, a longtime advocacy organization. "I am deeply concerned that we're going to see it all be taken away in the next four years."

Trump's defenders insist the president has not acted in a discriminatory way, and they point to public polling that shows widespread support for policies like restrictions on transgender athletes.

"He's working to establish common sense once again," said Ed Williams, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBT conservatives.

Harrison Fields, the principal deputy press secretary at the White House, said, "the overall MAGA movement is a big tent welcome for all and home to a large swath of the American people."

鈥淭he president continues to foster a national pride that should be celebrated daily," Fields聽said, "and he is honored to serve all Americans."

Presidential actions were widely expected

Trump made anti-transgender attacks a central plank of his campaign reelection message as he called on Congress to pass a bill stating there are "only two genders" and pledged to ban hormonal and surgical intervention for transgender minors. He signed an executive order doing so in January.

Trump banned聽transgender people from serving in the U.S. military.

Though June is recognized nationally as Pride month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump has "no plans for a proclamation."

"I can tell you this president is聽very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed," she added, making no mention of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Trump declined to issue Pride Month proclamations in his first term, but did recognize the celebration in 2019 as he publicized a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality headed by Richard Grenell, then the U.S. Ambassador to Germany and the highest-profile openly gay person in the administration. (Grenell now serves as envoy for special missions.)

Times changed where Trump is concerned

Trump named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,聽one of the nation's premier cultural institutions, after firing members of the board of trustees. He canceled a week's worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer's World Pride festival in Washington, D.C.

The exterior lights that once lit the venue on the Potomac River in the colors of the rainbow were quickly replaced with red, white and blue.

At the White House, Trump aides pointed to their decision to seize on culture wars surrounding transgender rights during the 2024 campaign as key to their win.

Jennings flatly rejected claims that the administration hasn't been discriminatory. "Are you kidding me? You're throwing trans people out of the military. That's example No. 1."

He points to the cancellation of scientific grants and funding for HIV/AIDS organizations, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's order to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, which commemorates the gay rights activist and Navy veteran.

Jennings called Trump's appointment of openly gay men like Grenell and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to high-profile positions "window dressing."

Less tolerance for the issues as time passes

Williams said Trump made the Republican Party more accepting of gay people. First lady Melania Trump, he noted, hosted fundraisers for his organization.

"On the whole, we think he's the best president ever for our community. He's managed to support us in ways that we have never been supported by any administration," Williams said. "We are vastly accepted within our party now."

Craig Konnoth, a University of Virginia professor of civil rights, compared the U.S.' trajectory to that of Russia, which saw a crackdown on gay and lesbian rights after a long stretch of more progressive policies. In 2023, Russia's Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ+ activism.

Trump's approach to LGBTQ+ rights comes amid a broader shift among Republicans, who grew less tolerant in recent years.

According to Gallup, the percentage of Republicans who think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized as valid with the same rights as traditional marriage dropped to 41% this year. That's the lowest point since 2016, a year after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, and a substantial decline from a high of 55% in 2021.

There's been a similar drop in the share of Republicans who say gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable, which dropped from 56% in 2022 to 38% this year. Democrats, meanwhile, continue to overwhelmingly support same-sex marriage and say same-sex relations are morally acceptable.

An AP-NORC poll from May found 52% of U.S. adults said they approve of how Trump handled transgender issues.