Caitlyn Jenner Explains Why She Voted For Donald Trump

A day after she appeared as a guest on Tucker Carlson’s first show in the post-Bill O’Reilly era, Caitlyn Jenner showed up to Late Night with Seth Meyers. Naturally, the conversation veered toward Trump, and specifically to Jenner’s paradoxical relationship to his administration and the political party it represents. As a trans woman, Jenner is aware that the Republican party does not represent her interests, but it’s Jenner’s beliefs in the role and size of government that swayed her vote the most.

“I’m not a one-issue voter and obviously—I know, I’m not stupid—the Republican party does not do a good job when it comes to equality and the entire LGBT community. The Democrats are better there,” she told Meyers. “But for me, I’ve been around a long time, I’m probably more conservative. I believe in little things like the Constitution and freedom. I believe in minimal government. And so Republicans have done a better job in that direction.”

The irony of Jenner’s thinking here is that Trump's administration rolling back Title IX, which helped to prevent discrimination against transgender people, is a prime example of a government overreach. Jenner seems to be aware of this contradiction, particularly because it affects her community. “I gotta keep an eye on these people,” she said. “Trump, who I talked to before [at] the Inauguration, about a lot of LGBT issues when the whole North Carolina bathroom bill, all that mess. And I had talked to him about my feelings on that. All of sudden he gets into office and one of the first things he does, which he never should have done, is repeal the Title IX for equality for trans people in school. That was good federal guidelines for states to be able to follow, and I blasted him.” 

Jenner is referring to a video she posted on Twitter, in which she asks the president to call her so they can discuss his decision. But Jenner admitted to Meyers that the two have not yet spoken and that ultimately she is a conservative, not a Trump supporter. “My loyalty is not with Donald Trump,” she told Meyers. “My loyalty is not with the Republican party. My loyalty is with my community, and I will fight for this community.”

Watch the segment below.