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Trump’s Surgery Claim Meets Pushback From Education Officials

By Drooid · Oct 20, 2026, 3:49 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed at a Georgia rally that schools secretly send children for gender-affirming surgery without parental consent.
Gender-identity experts told CNN they know no U.S. school has sent a child to a hospital for surgery.
Minnesota education department spokesperson Anna Arkin called the allegation unequivocally false.
A White House email listed only social-transition cases and noted no surgeries occurred without parental approval, contradicting Trump.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed at a Georgia rally that schools secretly send children for gender-affirming surgery without parental consent.
Gender-identity experts told CNN they know no U.S. school has sent a child to a hospital for surgery.
Minnesota education department spokesperson Anna Arkin called the allegation unequivocally false.
A White House email listed only social-transition cases and noted no surgeries occurred without parental approval, contradicting Trump.