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LEARN MOREPosted: 10:11 a.m. EST Dec 2, 2017
President Donald Trump proclaimed Friday as World AIDS Day, but critics said his statement fell flat.
This is because, unlike former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Trump didn't mention one of the demographics most affected by the disease: the LGBTQ community.
When asked why, the White House press secretary's office told The Daily Beast: "HIV/AIDS afflicts people of all types."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gay and bisexual men — and particularly, African-American gay and bisexual men — are most affected by HIV.
Trump didn't specify any highly affected demographic in the U.S., but he did specify a high-risk demographic outside of the country: adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization, globally, girls and young women are twice as likely to be at risk of HIV infection compared with adolescent boys and young men.
Trump then said he would continue investing in testing initiatives and strategies for epidemic control. His administration, however, doesn't really have the best track record with the health issue.
Earlier this year, six people resigned from the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. In an open letter published in Newsweek, they said they left because the president "simply does not care."
