Fact check: Did Donald trump kiss a transsexual on tv

1. What people are claiming — a short inventory of the allegation and variants

The core claim asks whether Donald Trump “kissed a transsexual on TV,” which combines three distinct factual elements: an act of kissing, the identity of the person kissed as transgender, and that the moment occurred on television. Available sources describe interactions where Trump has tried to kiss or kissed people in public but do not substantiate a televised kiss of a transgender person. Reporting that scrutinizes Trump’s public remarks about transgender athletes, campaign ads featuring drag performers, and historical incidents of inappropriate physical conduct are often conflated into this stronger claim despite lacking direct evidence ^{[3] [4] [2] [5]}.

2. The clearest documented incident often cited — CPAC 2022 and who was involved

The most commonly referenced episode is an attempted cheek kiss at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2022 when Trump leaned toward swimmer Riley Gaines and she visibly pulled back. Video and contemporaneous reporting describe an awkward attempt at a cheek kiss, not a televised kiss of a transgender person, and the woman involved has been identified as cisgender. This incident was captured and widely shared online and in news coverage but does not satisfy the claim’s transgender or televised components ^[1].

3. Why other incidents are sometimes conflated with the claim

Several separate threads fuel misattribution: Trump’s history of braggadocio about touching women, campaign targeting of drag performers and use of imagery, and media coverage of his comments about trans athletes. These components create a narrative ecosystem where distinct events — a crude 2005 remark about women, a drag image used in an ad without permission, and recent anti-trans rhetoric — are packaged into a single sensational claim despite lacking a single verifying incident. Careful reading of the reporting shows these are related but discrete facts, not confirmation of a televised kiss with a transgender person ^{[5] [4] [2]}.

4. What reputable coverage and timelines show when you check the record

Contemporary articles reviewing Trump’s public interactions and speeches since 2016 up through 2025 highlight multiple episodes of controversial conduct and anti-trans rhetoric, but none of the reviewed pieces document a televised kiss of a transgender person by Trump. Journalistic accounts focus on the CPAC encounter, Trump’s comments about trans athletes at events like the University of Alabama speech, and historical episodes of inappropriate behavior — each verified in context and time — while leaving the specific claim unsupported by primary-source video or credible eyewitness reporting ^{[1] [3] [2]}.

5. Why this matters for fact-checking and the patterns of online misinformation

The claim demonstrates a common pattern: combining true but separate facts into a novel, stronger allegation that lacks direct evidence. That pattern amplifies on social platforms where emotionally charged narratives spread faster than careful corrections. Responsible verification requires separating confirmed events (e.g., CPAC kiss attempt, campaign ad misuse, anti-trans speeches) from leaps that add identity or medium — such as asserting the person kissed was transgender or that the act occurred on television — when sources do not support those extras ^{[1] [4] [2]}.

6. Bottom line and how to verify future claims like this

The evidence does not support the statement that Donald Trump kissed a transgender person on television. Primary-media artifacts and reliable reporting point to an awkward CPAC cheek-kiss attempt involving a cisgender swimmer and multiple public comments about transgender issues, but not a televised kiss of a trans person. To verify similar claims in the future, demand primary video, timestamped broadcast records, or contemporaneous reporting naming the person and their identity; absent that, treat amalgamated accounts as unverified. ^{[1] [3] [2]}