Trump mocks NY law replacing ‘mother’ with ‘gestating parent’

President Donald Trump mocked terminology in a New York surrogacy bill during a Friday rally in Syracuse while campaigning for Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman.

His remarks targeted legislation passed by state lawmakers that revises wording connected to surrogacy.

Speaking to the Empire State crowd at the Oncenter, he ridiculed New York legislation that replaces “mother” and “father” in parts of state law with terms including “gestating parent” and “non-gestating parent.”

“You can no longer say ‘mother, hi mom!’ It’s ‘hi gestating,’” the president said. He continued: “‘Hi gestating, I love you so much gestating,’” drawing laughter from supporters.

He broadened the attack into a campaign argument against Governor Kathy Hochul, linking the measure to her positions on transgender health care for children and participation in women’s sports.

The event also featured an appearance by former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, who briefly joined Trump on stage and told the crowd he was happy to be there with “my president.”

Newsweek emailed the White House and Governor Hochul’s office for further comment outside of regular working hours on Saturday.

Key Points

• Several thousand supporters attended the campaign event, according to the New York Post.
• Hochul’s office said no legislation alters its view that “mothers are mothers and fathers are fathers.”
• A Marist poll released Wednesday put the Democratic governor 11 points ahead of her Republican challenger.
• A Siena University survey conducted the previous month placed the contest within single digits.

Why It Matters

The dispute has become a late-stage election issue as Republicans seek to portray Albany Democrats as disconnected from voters’ everyday concerns.

The bill changes language used in certain parentage proceedings, describing people as “gestating” or “non-gestating” parents and replacing “paternity” hearings with “parentage” hearings.

Supporters say the wording addresses technical legal questions involving surrogacy.

Critics argue that removing familiar family terms diminishes mothers and fathers while giving state government greater influence over parental matters.

Blakeman And Hochul Offer Competing Interpretations

Trump’s attention then shifted to Blakeman, the Nassau County executive seeking to unseat the Democratic incumbent.

“New York needs to throw out this radical left lunatic and elect Bruce Blakeman,” Trump declared.

Earlier, Blakeman had offered his own interpretation of the measure, calling it “insane.”

“They want to take control away from parents,” he told attendees. “They’re denigrating moms and dads. They’re letting Albany make the decisions that should be up to parents.”

A spokesperson for Hochul rejected that characterization and indicated that the governor had not completed her assessment of the legislation.

“The legislation, which we will review, appears to address technical legal issues related to surrogacy and parentage,” the spokesperson said, The New York Post reported. “Anyone making bad-faith arguments is deliberately misleading New Yorkers for political gain.”

That response highlights the central disagreement.

Republicans are presenting the revised vocabulary as evidence of an ideological shift in state government, while the governor’s office maintains that its purpose is narrower and rooted in legal precision.

What Polls Show About the Governor’s Race

Blakeman continues to trail Hochul across four recent statewide polls.

• An Emerson College Polling/PIX11 News survey, conducted October 3 to 5 among 900 likely voters, put Hochul ahead by 12 points, 52 percent to 40 percent. Its margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
• A Marist Poll, conducted October 1 to 4 among 1,361 registered voters, found a narrower 11-point advantage, with Hochul at 53 percent and Blakeman at 42 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

The September surveys produced a wider spread:

• Quinnipiac University questioned 1,026 likely voters from September 17 to 20 and recorded a 19-point lead, 58 percent to 39 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
• A Siena University Poll, conducted September 11 to 17 among 1,144 likely voters, placed Hochul nine points ahead, 50 percent to 41 percent. Its margin of error for the core questions was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Although the margins ranged from nine to 19 points, every survey showed Hochul leading.

Direct comparisons require caution because Marist surveyed registered voters, while the other three polls sampled likely voters.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.