Time Magazine has been forced to issue a public retraction following the publication of a highly contentious statement mischaracterizing a claim made by former President Donald Trump during Tuesday night’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. The statement, which accused Trump of fabricating an assertion about Harris supporting taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for illegal immigrants in prison, has now been corrected by the publication.
The correction was made following widespread public backlash from those who pointed out that Trump’s claim had merit based on Harris’s previous positions on gender transition treatments. The mischaracterization occurred in a story titled “How Kamala Harris Knocked Donald Trump Off Course,” which detailed the back-and-forth between the two candidates during their debate.
During the debate, Trump made a claim stating that Harris “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison.” The remark drew immediate reactions from both the media and the public, with many quick to call it false or exaggerated. However, many defended the statement, pointing to Harris’s past stances on related issues.
WATCH:
In 2019, while running for the Democrat presidential nomination, Harris filled out a questionnaire where she voiced support for taxpayer-funded gender transition treatments for detained immigrants. The questionnaire has now resurfaced, corroborating Trump’s debate comment.
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This is one of the greatest corrections in history, from @TIME magazine:https://t.co/LV2won82DI pic.twitter.com/bl8mUKXgHC
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) September 11, 2024
According to a KFile report by CNN on Monday, in a 2019 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) questionnaire, Harris revealed progressive views on several key issues. The questionnaire, completed during her 2020 presidential campaign, showed her support for reducing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, cutting ICE funding, and ending immigration detention, including private prisons. She also advocated for providing gender transition surgeries to detained immigrants and federal prisoners, marking a significant stance on transgender rights.
The ACLU questionnaire was reposted in 2020, after Harris became the presumptive Democratic vice-presidential nominee, although other candidates’ responses were not similarly highlighted. Despite shifting political rhetoric, Harris has maintained that her core values remain unchanged, though her campaign did not clarify whether she still supports these positions. The questionnaire also highlighted Harris’ previous record as California’s attorney general, where she both defended and later sought to change policies regarding gender transition surgeries for inmates.
Initially, Time magazine reported Trump’s statement as an unfounded and false claim, aligning with the swift dismissal by several media outlets. However, as fact-checkers and commentators pointed out in the 2019 questionnaire, the magazine was forced to reevaluate its position. On Wednesday, Time issued the following correction at the bottom of the article. However, Trump and his campaign had already faced significant criticism for what many saw as an unfounded attack on Harris.
The original version of this story mischaracterized as false Donald Trump’s statement accusing Kamala Harris of supporting ‘transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison.’ As a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris filled out a questionnaire saying she supported taxpayer-funded gender transition treatment for detained immigrants.
Building the narrative of Harris as a progressive champion, willing to embrace controversial policies like gender transition treatments for detained immigrants, has been a focus of the Trump campaign’s efforts to paint her as out of step with mainstream American values.
