Trump's claim about Biden admin wasting money on 'transgender mice' in Congress speech sparks meme fest

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump accused former President Joe Biden's administration of wasting taxpayer money on research involving "transgender mice" during his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4. 

Soon, netizens and news outlets pointed out that Trump possibly misspoke by referring to "transgenic" mice as "transgender" mice. Transgenic is the correct term for genetically modified animals used for research purposes.

While the White House later provided clarification on what the president meant, by then, his remake about "making mice transgender" had already ignited an online frenzy of memes and reactions.

Donald Trump cracks up Congress with his 'making mice transgender' comment

Donald Trump's speech took an unexpected turn when he accused the Biden administration of allocating $8 million for research that involved "making mice transgender," as per NPR.

The president, with his signature sarcasm, said, "This is real," stressing that taxpayer funds were being wasted on what he deemed unnecessary research.

Republican lawmakers laughed in approval as he spoke, with some applauding his criticism of the spending. His comments were linked to spending cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative supported by Republicans to eliminate what they perceive as frivolous government spending.

While specifics were not provided, his remarks appeared to echo discussions led by Rep Nancy Mace (R-SC), whose subcommittee held a hearing titled, "Transgender lab rats and poisoned puppies: Oversight of taxpayer-funded animal cruelty," in February. 

In that hearing, Mace cited a report from the White Coat Waste Project, an advocacy group that opposes animal testing, which claimed more than $10 million had been spent on studies involving transgender mice, rats, and monkeys in university labs.

Trump's comment seemed to reference these findings, though he did not delve into further details and moved on to alleged millions spent on "Arab Sesame Street in the Middle East" and "lavish fish monitoring."

None of the six studies listed in the White House release were conducted to "make mice transgender," as claimed by Trump. One was about the interaction between hormone therapy and HIV vaccinations, while another sought to research whether testosterone therapy could affect breast cancer rates.

The release also highlighted a study that used "transgenic" mice to explore how androgens might influence fertility in transgender men.

Donald Trump's 'transgender mice' statement quickly became fodder for memes

Donald Trump's remark about the Biden administration allocating $8 million for research that involved "making mice transgender," turned out to be the perfect fodder for memes and hilarious reactions. 

One meme showed animated mice in sequin clothes and rainbow-colored hair, captioned, "Should we really give up on the Transgender 🏳️‍⚧️ Mice 🐁 Clay?" poking fun at the absurdity of the claim.

Further adding to the online frenzy, a social media user posted a meme about a mouse dressed in gauze dress, claiming they found the mouse that was experimented on for this purpose. 

An X user shared a video of three mice dancing with visible signs of happiness, accompanied by the caption, "Mice after receiving gender affirming surgery."

Along with attaching a meme of a mouse wearing a scarf with the trans colors, an individual wrote, "It’s transgenic studies on mice for cancer research you f**king moron tRump!!! Not transgender! You cannot read or comprehend the English language! JFC."

One social media user used a picture of Pinky and the Brain characters dressed in drag and claimed they were probably the ones Trump may have been talking about. Pinky and The Brain, according to the cartoon, are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in a cage in the Acme Labs research facility. He captioned the post 'The Trans Mice in question by the Trump Administration."

One person dragged Riley Gaines as well in this melee with a post about a mouse wearing a swimming cap in a pool. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.