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Trump Says U.S. Intelligence Told Him Iran’s New Leader Is Gay

The on-air claim turns sensitive intelligence into a political talking point with stakes that include severe penalties for homosexuality in Iran.

Overview

  • During a phone interview on Fox NewsThe Five, Trump said U.S. intelligence told him Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is gay.
  • He referenced the CIA when host Jesse Watters pressed him and called the allegation a bad start for Khamenei in Iran.
  • He then criticized “Gays for Palestine” and claimed strong support from gay voters, pointing to using the Village People’s “YMCA” as his walk-off song.
  • No U.S. agency has publicly confirmed the claim, which the New York Post reported earlier in March as intelligence that Khamenei may be gay.
  • Coverage split quickly, with the Post casting Trump’s remark as confirming its scoop while Mediaite and TMZ focused on his pivot to boasting about “the gay vote.”