Trump's 'Transgender Mice' Claim Misrepresents Medical Research

The former president's statement about $8 million spent on 'making mice transgender' conflates transgenic medical studies with gender identity issues.

During his address to Congress, Donald Trump claimed $8 million was spent on 'making mice transgender,' a statement widely debunked as inaccurate.
The research in question involved transgenic mice, genetically modified to study diseases like cancer, asthma, and HIV—not gender identity.
The White House defended Trump's claim, citing six NIH-funded studies, but critics noted the studies were focused on advancing human health, not 'transgender experiments.'
Scientists clarified that the term 'transgenic' refers to genetic modifications for medical research, and mice do not possess gender identities.
The claim has sparked widespread online ridicule and memes, with many pointing to the misunderstanding as emblematic of broader cultural and political divides.