US President Donald Trump pledged to end HIV transmissions by 2030 in his State of the Union address last night.

Speaking in Washington, D. C., Trump said: ‘In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach.

‘My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years. We have made incredible strides, incredible.’

‘Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond,’ he furthermore added.

But LGBTIs have responded with scepticism, pointing out Trump’s ‘dangerous anti-equality record.’

An alternative State of the Union address by the Human Rights Campaign, published on their website and amplifying the voices of LGBTI Americans, offered a blistering response.

‘His administration must reverse their attacks on Medicaid’

Aryah Lester the Deputy Director, Transgender Strategy Center, told HRC: ‘Transgender people and people living with HIV deserve a government that has our backs.

‘If Donald Trump truly wants to stop the spread of HIV, his administration must reverse their attacks on Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the rights of LGBTQ patients. No real public health agenda can ever include dangerous cuts or discrimination against those who need services the most.’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi meanwhile confirmed she had invited two trans military serve members to watch the State of the Union address in the House chambers.

‘This is a presidency rooted in prejudice and fear’

HRC President Chad Griffin also added: ‘For more than two years, Donald Trump and Mike Pence have made attacking LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities a top priority of their administration.

‘From undermining protections for transgender youth, to threatening to deport Dreamers, to attempting to ban transgender service members from the military, to working to eviscerate health care coverage for those most vulnerable – this is a presidency rooted in prejudice and fear.

‘But at every turn, we have put up roadblocks on this administration’s path of destruction and discrimination, uniting with our allies across movements.’

He furthermore added: ‘Now, with a pro-equality majority in the House of Representatives poised to pass the Equality Act and tackle other critical issues, we continue to demonstrate that when we stand together we are a force to be reckoned with.’