Former President Donald Trump went after President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday over its policy to support the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
While speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, Trump blasted the policy claiming that allowing “biological males” to compete against women would effectively “end” women’s sports. (RELATED: Study Says Transgender Women Maintain Athletic Advantage Over Biological Women)
“Joe Biden and the Democrats are even pushing policies that would destroy women’s sports. A lot of new records are being broken in women’s sports. Hate to say that, ladies, but got a lot of new records. They’re being shattered,” Trump began. “You know, for years, the weight lifting, every ounce is like a big deal for many years. All of a sudden somebody comes along and beats it by 100 pounds.”
He explained that women worked hard to get to where they are in athletics and that it’s “not good for women” to now have to compete against “biological males.” He then described that some records in women’s sports “have stood for years, even decades” and are now easily being “smashed.”
“If this does not change, women’s sports, as we know it, will die, they’ll end … if I’m a coach, you know, I want to be a great coach. What coach, as an example, wants to recruit a young woman to compete if her record can easily be broken by somebody who was born a man? Not too many of those coaches around, right? … We must protect the integrity of women’s sports. So important. Have to,” Trump concluded.
The Biden administration has expressed its support for the Equality Act, and pledged to sign the bill in the first 100 days of the administration. The bill passed the House of Representatives on Feb. 25 and includes protections from discrimination for transgender people in sports. It’s unclear whether it will pass the Senate, as both Democrats and Republicans have previously expressed concerns over its content and potential implementation.