President Trump Jokes About Transgender Athlete Impersonation
President Trump humorously impersonated a transgender athlete while discussing the controversial topic, acknowledging that it would likely get him “in trouble” with his wife, Melania Trump.
During his commencement speech at the University of Alabama, Trump addressed the ongoing debate surrounding transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
He jokingly mentioned, “The greatest is like weightlifting, you ever see the weightlifting? Where they have a record that wasn’t broken in 18 years,” before teasing the crowd about performing an impersonation despite his wife’s disapproval.
Trump humorously shared, “Should I imitate him? My wife gets very upset when I do this. She says ‘Darling, it’s not presidential,’ I say yeah, but people like it.”
He then asked the audience if he should proceed with the impersonation, playfully mentioning that he would face consequences with his wife at home.
In a scenario created by Trump, he described a cisgender female weightlifter struggling to lift an “eighth of an ounce” of weight before being outperformed by a “transitioned person.”
Trump playfully acted out the scenario, highlighting the ease with which the transgender competitor lifted the weight and broke a record by “119 pounds.”
The Trump administration recently accused the University of Pennsylvania of violating federal civil rights laws by allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports, citing Title IX rules.
“Little girls who look up to Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan can find hope in today’s action – the Trump Administration will not allow male athletes to invade female private spaces or compete in female categories,” said Craig Trainor, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
Overall, Trump’s lighthearted take on the sensitive issue of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports sparked both amusement and controversy.
