Sitting down with Harris Faulkner, former President Donald Trump suggested banning transgender athletes in sports.
When polling an audience of women on the network, the crowd all raised their hands when asked if they were concerned about the issue of trangender athletes.
When one audience stated that they had fear of their daughters on and off the field, the former president stated “it’s such an easy question and everybody in the room and you know that answer, we’re not gonna let it happen.”
Trump even made comments regarding women’s volleyball matches as of late claiming the ‘I never saw a ball hit so hard’ and even falsely claimed that people had been ‘really hurt badly playing men.’ He also falsely claimed that transgender athletes are breaking records in swimming.
Harris Faulkner asks a room full of women how many of them are concerned about their daughters having to compete against a man in their sports.
EVERY woman raises their hand.
Trump says he will executively ban men from competing in women’s sports. GOOD🔥 pic.twitter.com/M5guDtlUJU
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 16, 2024
When asked how to combat such issue, he promoted, “you just ban it. The president bans it and you don’t let it happen.’
In 2022, former President Donald Trump announced during a rally in Conroe, Texas, that he would prohibit transgender women from participating in women’s sports if he were re-elected. “We will ban men from participating in women’s sports,” he declared to a cheering crowd on Saturday, labeling the current situation as “so ridiculous.”
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Trump specifically targeted Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania, whose performance has ignited significant debate in recent months. He misgendered Thomas by using incorrect pronouns and inaccurately claimed that she broke an 11-year-old swimming record by a staggering 38 seconds. In truth, Thomas won the 1,650-yard freestyle at the Zippy Invitational in Ohio by that margin; however, she did not set a record in that event. Instead, she established new school and Ivy League records in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyles, which were broken by smaller margins.
Trump’s rhetoric echoed the sentiments of conservative lawmakers across the country, many of whom have introduced legislation targeting transgender athletes. Last year alone, over 30 states proposed bills aimed at banning transgender student-athletes from competing on teams that correspond with their gender identity. As of now, ten states have enacted such laws, and an additional 17 states are currently considering similar measures.
In a previous speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, Trump referred to transgender female athletes as “biological males,” a phrase that many in the transgender community find offensive. He expressed concern for young girls and women who he claimed are being forced to compete against individuals he categorizes as biological males. “It’s not good for women. It’s not good for women’s sports, which worked for so long and so hard to get to where they are,” he stated. He further warned that if changes are not made, “women’s sports as we know it will die.”
Advocates for transgender rights argue that the issue is being exploited as a political wedge to rally conservative voters. However, they contend that the narrative surrounding transgender athletes poses no real threat to women’s sports. For instance, a review by The Associated Press revealed that only a handful of lawmakers across two dozen states could provide concrete examples of issues arising from the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports teams.
Critics of Thomas’s participation in women’s sports cite her success as evidence that trans women should not compete in these events. They argue that existing regulations should be tightened to address potential advantages related to testosterone exposure from male puberty.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has stated its commitment to supporting transgender athletes, recently announcing an inclusive policy aimed at providing opportunities for all athletes, regardless of gender identity.
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Despite the ongoing legislative battles and public debate, polling data reveals a complex public sentiment regarding transgender rights. A PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released last year indicated that two-thirds of Americans oppose laws limiting transgender rights. However, when the focus shifts to specific policies regarding sports, opinions become more divided. A Gallup poll from the same year found that 62 percent of Americans believe transgender athletes should only compete on teams corresponding to their gender assigned at birth, while 34 percent support inclusion based on gender identity.
Mara Keisling, the former executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, commented on the potential influence of these polls. She suggested that the backlash against anti-trans legislation might prompt a reevaluation of attitudes toward transgender individuals as people become more informed or meet transgender people personally. The Gallup data supported this notion, revealing that individuals who know someone who is transgender were more likely to advocate for trans inclusion in sports teams—40 percent compared to 31 percent among those who do not know a transgender person.
