Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett explains why she asked a witness in a House subcommittee meeting to play a ‘Trump or trans’ game. |DD

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett Defends ‘Trump or Trans’ Question in Heated House Subcommittee Hearing: “It Was About Hypocrisy”

In a moment that quickly went viral across social media and cable news, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) stunned attendees at a recent House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee hearing when she asked a witness to engage in what she described as a “Trump or Trans” game. The comment, at first met with confusion and criticism by some, was later passionately defended by Crockett as an attempt to highlight what she sees as glaring hypocrisies in the conservative agenda.

In an exclusive interview outside the hearing room and in a follow-up press briefing, Rep. Crockett stood by her question. “The point was clear,” she said. “You can’t claim to care about protecting kids or the moral fabric of this nation when you openly support someone who violates all those supposed standards himself.”

The Context: A Heated Subcommittee Hearing

The incident occurred during a hearing titled “Protecting Our Children: Examining the Threat of Gender Ideology in Schools,” a hearing spearheaded by House Republicans and focused largely on criticizing the inclusion of gender identity discussions in public education. Crockett, a freshman lawmaker and rising star among progressives, used her questioning time not to go along with the hearing’s narrative—but to flip it entirely.

“I kept hearing the same things,” she explained. “That trans people are dangerous, that they’re corrupting kids, that they’re perverse. And I thought: if I gave you a list of offenses—sexual assault allegations, lying on the record, financial corruption—would you assume I’m talking about a transgender person or Donald Trump?”

Her question, while unconventional, was sharply rhetorical: “If I read you a list of behaviors and you can’t tell whether it’s Trump or a transgender person—maybe the problem isn’t gender identity.”

The Witness: Conservative Think Tank Scholar Caught Off-Guard

The question was directed at Dr. Jordan Whitaker, a senior fellow at the conservative Liberty Values Coalition, who had been brought in by Republicans as an expert witness to speak against gender-affirming care and classroom discussions on identity. Caught off-guard, Whitaker declined to play the “game,” saying it was inappropriate.

Crockett’s retort was blistering. “You’re here telling America that gender identity is dangerous while ignoring the multiple criminal indictments, sexual assault rulings, and civil fraud convictions of a man your party is about to nominate again for president. That’s not just irony—it’s rank hypocrisy.”

The room fell into a tense silence before Oversight Subcommittee Chair Glenn Grothman (R-WI) called for decorum.

Crockett Clarifies Her Intent

After the hearing, Crockett addressed the media, reiterating that her point wasn’t to make light of either transgender people or the seriousness of the hearing’s topics—but to challenge the selective morality she believes is prevalent in today’s political landscape.

“I was using satire,” Crockett said. “We live in a time where political rhetoric is weaponized to dehumanize people. But if you actually break down the accusations being made against the transgender community and compare them to the documented actions of Donald Trump, it becomes clear that the attacks are politically motivated—not morally grounded.”

She added, “It was never about mocking trans people. It was about showing that if the standard is personal conduct, then let’s apply it fairly. And if the standard is loyalty, let’s stop pretending it’s about anything else.”

Support and Backlash: A Divided Response

Reaction to Crockett’s comment was predictably split down partisan lines.

Progressive lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Maxwell Frost, and Rep. Ilhan Omar took to social media to defend her. “Jasmine Crockett just did what few have the courage to do—hold a mirror to the GOP’s face,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They’ll call it ‘disrespectful,’ but the truth is they just hate being exposed.”

On the other side, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) decried the moment as “degenerate” and “unserious,” accusing Democrats of using Congress as “a stage for woke theater.”

The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, released a statement in support of Crockett, writing: “Rep. Crockett’s rhetorical exercise underscored the absurdity of attacking an entire community for who they are, while giving a free pass to the documented abuses of a former president. We applaud her for using her platform boldly and with integrity.”

A Pattern of Boldness

This isn’t the first time Jasmine Crockett has garnered national attention for speaking plainly in committee hearings. In 2023, she clashed with Rep. Lauren Boebert over gun control. In 2024, she went viral again for calling out what she called “selective outrage” in hearings on Hunter Biden.

A former public defender and civil rights attorney, Crockett has made transparency, accountability, and intersectional justice hallmarks of her tenure. Her district, which includes parts of Dallas, has become a key progressive stronghold in Texas.

When asked if she regrets the phrasing of her “Trump or Trans” question, Crockett said simply, “No. Because it got people thinking. And when people start thinking critically, we win.”

Looking Forward: The Cultural and Political Implications

Crockett’s moment may be remembered as a flashpoint in a larger cultural battle: Who gets to define morality in American politics? And who is allowed to speak plainly about hypocrisy?

Critics may decry the tone. But supporters argue that in an era of rising fascism and deepening disinformation, there’s no time for polite deflections.

“The truth is uncomfortable,” Crockett concluded. “But silence is more dangerous. If my words made people uncomfortable, then maybe that discomfort is the beginning of real accountability.”

Final Thoughts

Whether you see it as a gaffe or a galvanizing moment, Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s “Trump or Trans” comment forced the conversation out of the echo chamber and into a space where assumptions were challenged.

In an institution too often mired in predictable partisanship and performative outrage, Crockett’s choice to speak boldly—and without apology—may mark her as one of the most uncompromising voices of her generation.

As the culture wars rage and the 2024 election season heats up, this Texas congresswoman has made one thing clear: she’s not here to play by the old rules—she’s here to rewrite them.