Trump — in a lengthy Truth Social post on the race to replace late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for a full term — used the slur multiple times to refer to Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatric physician who is polling just behind the late senator’s sister, incumbent Darline Graham (R).

“Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina,” he wrote, adding that the Democrat was “in favor of Transgender for Everyone” among other matters.

“This is abhorrent. Elections don’t have to be about cruelty and lies. South Carolina deserves better,” wrote Beasley, who was the state’s governor from 1995 to 1999, in a post on X.

He went on to urge voters to “look at the merits of each candidate and cast their vote accordingly,” adding that Americans “must reject politics based on division and hate.”

“While South Carolinians can strongly disagree with one another, we can do so civilly and with honest intentions for the betterment of our communities and well being of our families,” he concluded.

A post by former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley (R) on X.

X

The Trump administration has also looped such language into events, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth resorting to anti-trans slurs to hype up the “warrior ethos” he claims to be injecting into his “Department of War.”

The GOP’s trans-rights fixation this election cycle has sparked doubts among influential forces in the party.

The American Principles Project — a socially conservative PAC whose president reportedly played a key role in pushing Trump and Republicans to go after trans rights — used a memo last month to stress to candidates that GOP messaging on such issues “may not be sufficient” in their fight against Democrats.

In South Carolina, Graham holds a narrow lead over Andrews, according to recent polling Newsweek highlighted on Friday.