Donald Trump Expands Controversial Rhetoric with Ban on Trans Athletes in America | US News
The Olympics has been alerted – follow Donald Trump’s demands or face consequences.
If transgender women are not prohibited from competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, they will face a ban on entering the United States.
The president issued a direct warning from the White House: “Nobody’s going to be able to do a damn thing about it.”
The International Olympic Committee likely anticipated this move.
Trump has consistently used provocative rhetoric during the campaign, arguing that transgender women in women’s competitions are cheating and posing risks to their competitors.
This formal ceremony in the East Room, attended by female athletes, solidified his policy commitment through an executive order.
“This is one of the big reasons that we all won,” he stated, while occasionally digressing about the potential for a larger ballroom for the event.
What will the IOC do in the lead-up to LA 2028?
The answer may depend on the outcome of their presidential election in March.
The president signed the executive order surrounded by girls in alignment with National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Pic: AP
One candidate, Sebastian Coe, is already in agreement with Trump, having excluded anyone assigned male at birth from women’s categories in his role as World Athletics president.
For the moment, this U.S. order only directly affects educational institutions that receive federal funding.
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However, Trump is increasing the pressure on the IOC, which allows individual sports to determine their eligibility rules.
“In Los Angeles in 2028, my administration will not watch as men overpower female athletes,” Trump declared.
“We’re simply not going to let this continue, and it’s coming to an end—effective immediately.”
How many athletes would this policy affect at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
In theory, none.
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There was a trans man who competed as female at birth, along with two non-binary athletes in their assigned sex categories. They are not being targeted by Trump.
However, two female boxers were misidentified by Trump as trans women due to controversial gender eligibility tests.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been instructed to “inform the International Olympic Committee… that America completely rejects transgender absurdity.”
Trump further remarked: “We expect a total overhaul of everything regarding the Olympics and this utterly ludicrous issue.”
This may be the point at which the IOC begins to regret granting the 2028 Games to Los Angeles. Trump often boasts about winning that Olympic vote during his first term, never anticipating he would be in office during the Games.
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While the protection of women’s sports is the objective, the inclusive, unifying, and celebratory messaging of the Olympics is being undermined.
The Department of Homeland Security has been instructed to “deny any visa applications made by individuals pretending to be women athletes to fraudulently enter the United States.”
Activists advocating for LGBT+ rights in sports condemned the Trump administration’s targeting of yet another marginalized group.
Athlete Ally expressed in a statement: “Our hearts break for the trans youth deprived of the joy of playing sports as their true and authentic selves.”
Nevertheless, many across the United States are likely to support Trump in implementing his “common sense” agenda.
“You’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he said, before signing the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order into law.
