Donald Trump: Transgender People Should Use Whatever Bathroom They Choose

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

North Carolina legislators made a mistake in passing a law that prevents transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity, Donald Trump said today.

At a town hall hosted by NBC's Today Show, Trump said, "North Carolina did something that was very strong, and they’re paying a big price. And there’s a lot of problems.

"There have been very few complaints the way it is," he continued. "People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate, there has been so little trouble."

Recently, a federal court threw out a similar rule from a Virginia high school that required students to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate.

When asked whether he would let Caitlyn Jenner, a famous transgender woman, use her preferred bathroom at Trump Tower, he responded, "That is correct."

Ted Cruz, Trump's closest competitor for the GOP presidential nomination, tweeted out this response to Trump's answer:

Trump has hardly shied away during this campaign from taking positions at odds with conservative talking points. Trump's stand on this issue puts many Democrats, like Clay Aiken, in the unusual position of agreeing with him.

On Tuesday, North Carolina Governor Patrick McCrory issued a statement saying that, in light of the recent ruling in Virginia, his state would, "evaluate the impact of this court ruling on existing legislation."

In response to Trump's comment today, McCrory's office shifted blame to the city of Charlotte, which had initially passed a bill allowing people choose which bathroom they would use.

"Governor McCrory has always said that North Carolina was getting along fine before the Charlotte city council passed its unneeded and overreaching ordinance,” said the governor's spokesperson Ricky Diaz in a statement. “Now that it has been overturned, businesses can adopt their own policies — like Target has — instead of being mandated to allow men into women’s restrooms by government."