Trump claims he won ‘gay vote’ in 2024 despite polls showing just 12% support

US president Donald Trump has insisted he “won the gay vote” in the 2024 presidential election, despite comprehensive exit polling showing he secured only a small fraction of support from LGBTQ+ voters.

Speaking during a phone interview on Fox News’ The Five, Trump said he believed he performed “very well with the gay vote,” attributing part of that supposed success to using the Village People’s YMCA - which he referred to as the “gay national anthem” - as his walk‑off music at rallies. He claimed, “No Republican’s ever gotten the gay vote like I did.”

However, NBC News exit polling from Election Day sharply contradicts the president’s assertions. The data shows Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won 86% of LGBTQ+ voters, leaving Trump with just 12% - one of the weakest Republican performances with the demographic in several election cycles.

Trump’s comments came amid a broader discussion that veered into unrelated territory, including rumours - reported by The New York Post - about Iran’s new supreme leader. But his claim to have “cornered” LGBTQ+ support has drawn particular scrutiny, given long‑established voting trends showing the community leans strongly Democratic. Subsequent analysis further reinforced the discrepancy: data from outlets such as the Washington Blade suggests Trump’s support among LGBT+ men remained below 20%, and among LGBTQ+ women as low as 8%.

Trump has nevertheless continued to link cultural signalling - such as his campaign’s embrace of YMCA - to what he describes as strong backing within the LGBTQ+ community. The Village People briefly saw a resurgence among his supporters after performing at his 2025 inauguration, though the decision drew criticism from gay‑rights activists. 

Despite Trump’s rhetoric, polling experts say the numbers leave little ambiguity. Harris’s 86% share of LGBTQ+ voters in 2024 is understood to be the strongest Democratic performance with the demographic in at least five election cycles.