Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the President of the United States on Monday and wasted no time advancing plans to eliminate protections for transgender athletes. According to a report from the Associated Press, he is preparing to sign executive orders aimed at rolling back protections for transgender individuals, including trans athletes in women’s sports. This decision follows Trump’s Sunday night announcement that he would ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
“We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools and we will keep men out of women’s sports,” Trump declared during his rally on Sunday night. The planned executive orders will also state that the federal government will recognize only two sexes — male and female. Additionally, the administration intends to stop recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility. These developments are unsurprising given Trump’s prior statements, especially after securing the presidency in the 2024 election, when he pledged to take action against transgender athletes.
“With the stroke of my pen on day one, we are going to stop the transgender lunacy,” Trump proclaimed during a speech last month. “And I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military, and out of our elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools — and we will keep men out of women’s sports.” Needless to say, this announcement led to a lot of reactions on social media.
“What happened to the ‘he’s only going to stop trans children, adults can do what they want’ crowd?” one person wrote on X. “Disgusting,” someone else added. “This is actually so sad,” another commented. “Disgusting, this man,” another individual remarked. “But I thought Trump loves the LGBTQ?” someone asked rhetorically. “Y’all voted for this man,” another person said.
The legal validity of these executive orders remains a topic of contention, but Trump is clearly determined to fulfill his campaign promises.