Trump Calls Non-Trans Doctor 'Annie Trannie' in SC Race

Donald Trump deployed a slur against Annie Andrews while urging voters to support Darline Graham in South Carolina's special Senate election. The former president took to Truth Social to rename the Charleston pediatrician, calling her "Annie Trannie." This remark targets transgender people, yet Andrews is not transgender. She stands as the only Democrat on the ballot for a seat opened by her brother Lindsey Graham's death last July.

Trump wrote that Darline Graham represents high quality values while Andrews does not fit the profile of Great People in South Carolina. He listed specific policy positions he claimed she supports to paint a harsh picture for voters. Those claims include Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, and a Weak Military. He finished his post by demanding everyone vote for Darline Graham instead.

Andrews pushed back immediately after reading the attack. She told The Daily Mail that her campaign fights for patients, three children, and her home state. As a mom and doctor, she believes lowering costs requires all hands on deck across the state. Her message focuses less on Washington politics and more on helping families manage their bills right now.

The race began after Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to finish Lindsey's term following his sudden passing. Trump quickly endorsed her for a full four-year term and campaigned alongside her recently. Andrews had originally planned to run only against the late senator but faced multiple Republican challengers instead. She won her party's June primary outright before facing another opponent in August.

Darline Graham defeated Congressman Ralph Norman in an August runoff after finishing top two in a ten-way primary field. Despite being unknown outside of state politics, she secured endorsements from major figures and won the seat swiftly. South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1956, making this outcome significant for the region.

Lindsey Graham has never lost a race by less than 10 points. That record held until now. Last week, reports surfaced showing that Andrews is one of several Democratic candidates with a fighting chance in what many assume are deep red states. GOP insiders privately worry that rising energy costs driven by the president's war could cost Republicans their majorities in both the House and Senate during the midterm election. Graham, pictured above, defeated Congressman Ralph Norman in an August special Republican primary runoff just two weeks after they finished as the top two finishers in a ten-way primary.

In an interview with TIME magazine, Trump dismissed his sagging approval ratings as fake. He insisted he would beat anyone running today by 20 points and branded pollsters almost as corrupt as the writers. When asked in the Oval Office on Wednesday whether the red-state swing spelled trouble, he dodged the question. Instead, he bragged about the economy and blamed the party's woes on bad public relations. Election experts have noted that presidents typically do not spend precious campaign days in states considered safe for their party.

Some Republicans are already inching away from the White House. Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts both conceded that soaring fuel costs are squeezing families back home. Money remains the GOP's firewall, with Republicans outspending Democrats by millions. In some races, the GOP leads by tens of millions. This includes future ad reservations in Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Kansas, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.