Donald Trump has made it quite clear that he does not support transgender women competing in women’s sports, and it sounds like he’s planning to outright ban transgender women from female sports.
During a recent town hall question and answer session with Fox News, Trump was asked his plan regarding transgender athletes.
“How do you plan on addressing the transgender issue in women’s sports?” a woman asked Trump. “I have nine grandchildren – six of them female – all playing sports. We are very concerned for their safety not just on the field and the courts, but in their locker rooms as well.”
“It’s such an easy question,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let it happen.”
Trump seemed to reference San Jose State women’s volleyball player Blaire Fleming, who is a transgender woman, saying that he watched her play and that he has “never seen a ball hit so hard” before claiming that people have been “really hurt badly” by transgender athletes.
He went on to declare that if he were elected president, he would outright ban trans women from competing in women’s sports.
“We stop it. We stop it. We absolutely stop it. We can’t have it,” Trump said.
Trump was then asked to clarify how exactly he planned to stop it, and he had a clear – but also mostly illegal – plan.
“You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen,” Trump said.
The crowd cheered loudly in response as Trump did not elaborate further.
It’s not clear what exactly Trump means by “the president bans it,” but it’s worth noting the president does not have that authority. Any transgender ban would have to come in the form of legislation – not from the president.
Several states have passed or attempted to pass legislation banning transgender athletes at the state level, but many have since been struck down by courts.
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