Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE) elicited mixed reactions from the trans community when she released a statement saying she would comply with the GOP’s vicious ban on trans women using women’s bathrooms at the Capitol – but the longtime trailblazer seems quite confident in her approach.

In a recent appearance on Face the Nation, McBride cautioned Americans not to be deceived by the GOP’s obsession with her.

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“I think we are all united that attempts to attack a vulnerable community are not only mean-spirited but really an attempt to misdirect,” she said. “Because every single time we hear the incoming administration or Republicans in Congress talk about any vulnerable group in this country, we have to be clear that it is an attempt to distract.. .from what they are actually doing.”

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McBride emphasized throughout the interview that her focus would remain on serving the people of her district and that she would not let Republicans divert her attention from their attempts to roll back key benefits for the American people.

“Every single time we hear them say the word trans, look what they’re doing with their right hand. Look at what they’re doing to pick the pocket of American workers, to fleece seniors by privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Look what they’re doing undermining workers…. Every bit of time and energy that is used to divert the attention of federal government to go after trans people is time and energy that is not focused on addressing the cost of living for our constituents…. There is a real cost for the American worker every time they focus on this.”

While many have criticized McBride for rolling over to the GOP’s hatred, she made it clear that she has no plans to compromise her values while serving in Congress.

“There are opportunities for us to find common ground,” she said, “but it’s also clear that this administration, as it begins to fill its appointments with Project 2025 authors, that a lot of the policies that this president will pursue will likely hurt my constituents and raise prices. And so where I need to fight back, I will. But where I can find common ground, I will certainly seek it.”

She added that she did not run for Congress to talk about herself or make the bathroom she uses the center of attention.

“I ran to deliver for Delawareans. And while Republicans in Congress seem focused on bathrooms and trans people, and specifically me, I’m focused on rolling up my sleeves, diving into the details, setting up my office, and beginning the hard work of delivering for Delawareans on the issues that I know keep them up at night…. At the end of the day, how I’m being treated does not matter. What matters is how the American people are being treated and whether we’re actually focused on the issues that matter to them.”

The brunt of the attacks on McBride have come from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who has been obsessed with denigrating her and succeeded at getting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to ban all trans women at the Capitol from using the women’s facilities. 

“It is offensive that a man in a skirt thinks that he’s my equal,” she said on the right-wing channel Newsmax. “Like his challenges are the same as mine! They’re not! And he’s forcing his genitals into women’s restrooms, into dressing rooms, into locker rooms. It’s sick, it’s twisted.”

Mace has called McBride “it” and misgendered her in televised interviews on the subject. Last week, she posted on X over 300 times about McBride.

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