As he cements his lead, which could even allow him to avoid a contested convention, Donald Trump is pivoting to the general election, presumably hoping to appeal to a broader voter base.
When asked on the Today Show’s live town hall about the controversial North Carolina transgender bathroom law, which essentially forces people to use public restrooms according to the gender ascribed to them on their birth certificate, instead of the one they identify with, Trump answered:
“North Carolina did something that was very strong, and they’re paying a big price, and there’s a lot of problems.” He said he would “leave it the way it is.” He described his rationale as a pro-business stance:
North Carolina, what they’re going through with all of the business that’s leaving, all of the strife—and it’s on both sides—you leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. And the problem with North Carolina has been the strife and the economic punishment that they’re taking.
Trump has also taken a moderate stance on Planned Parenthood, while his opponents have been trying to one-up each other on who wants to defund the organization more. But this is Trump, a man full of contradictions. And the LGBTQ community still probably can’t count on him as an ally: He has made crude jokes about transgender people in the past, and has suggested he would overturn the Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage.