The former president appeared to make fun of transgender athletes while talking about LeBron James and women’s sports.
On Saturday in Tampa, former President Donald Trump spoke at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. During his speech, he made a few unclear statements. LeBron James, the star forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, has never considered transitioning to a woman, but the former reality TV presenter claimed that if James did, he would be asked to play for his “best women’s basketball team ever.”
Trump declared, “I would be the greatest coach of all time if I were the women’s basketball team’s coach. “Although I don’t like LeBron James at all, I would ask him this question: “LeBron, have you ever considered becoming a woman?” Did you ever think about joining my team, since I’d like to have you. LeBron, I’d love to have you on our squad. However, the current situation is quite bizarre.”
It seems like Trump is making a point of disparaging transgender athletes in his address. He has previously demanded that transgender women be prohibited from participating in sports.
Trump came under fire from activists on Tuesday when he attended a tournament pretending to be a transgender weightlifter. In the skit, Trump moaned and grunted while attempting to lift a barbell while posing as a cis woman but failing. He then claimed to be a transsexual athlete who won the tournament by picking up the weights with ease.
To the laughter and applause of the audience in front of him, Trump remarked, “Then this man comes along, he’s named Alice, and he looks at the weight.”
Then, while posing as “Alice,” he pretends to lift the weights with ease and exclaims, “World record. global benchmark. He would have lifted it if we had added a few hundred pounds extra.
Trump has targeted trans athletes before, so this was not the first time. In February, he made a campaign rally promise to “keep males out of women’s sports.”
According to Trump, it is truly degrading to women and should not be permitted.
LeBron and Trump have been at odds since since Trump first took office. After James opposed the police following the April killing of Ohio teen Ma’Khia Bryant, Trump criticized James.
Trump, according to James, used sports “to divide people” while in government.