During a speech in Alabama, Trump sparked debate after saying he’s ‘in trouble’ with Melania for impersonating a transgender athlete.
Trump’s Alabama speech sparks trans athlete controversy
In a recent address at the **University of Alabama**, **Donald Trump’s transgender athlete speech** drew headlines after he joked about upsetting Melania Trump over an impersonation.
The former president was delivering a commencement speech when he acted out a controversial comparison between cisgender and transgender weightlifters.
He warned the audience, “My wife will say this isn’t presidential,” before mimicking what he called a “transitioned person” breaking a sports record.
Trump smiled and shrugged: “The greatest is like weightlifting, you ever see the weightlifting? Where they have a record that wasn’t broken in 18 years,” he said.
“Should I imitate… my wife gets very upset when I do this… she said ‘darling it’s not presidential’ yeah but people like it.
“Should I do it or not? Alright I’m in t
His joke, referencing transgender athletes in women’s sports, quickly went viral and was criticized as insensitive and politically charged.
Trump reenacted a scene to oppose trans women in sports.
Trump described a fictional event where a female athlete struggled with weights, then a transgender athlete lifted the same weight with ease.
“A guy comes along, or a gal, or whatever, a transitioned person… and he was a failed weight lifter as a man… and breaks the record… that’s not right,” said Trump
The scene drew laughter from the crowd but was labeled transphobic by critics who say it mocks real athletes’ identities and struggles.
His **Trump Melania impersonation**—done while warning he’d be “in trouble”—was seen as an attempt to soften the tone with humor.
Melania, according to Trump, had previously asked him to avoid these impersonations, calling them “not very presidential” behavior.
Trump administration targets trans athletes in education policy.
Just days before the speech, the Trump administration targeted UPenn for alleged civil rights violations tied to transgender athletes’ participation in sports.
The Education Department gave the university ten days to comply with federal policy or face potential legal action through the Department of Justice.
A statement from Acting Civil Rights Secretary Craig Trainor said the administration would protect female spaces and competition under **Title IX law**.
He added, “UPenn must comply or face consequences. Federal law should protect women—not allow men into their private spaces or sporting events.”
The message echoes the broader **Trump transgender sports policy**, which restricts participation based on biological sex, not gender identity.
Trump signed executive order defining gender as biological sex
Immediately after returning to office in January, Trump signed an executive order defining sex as strictly male or female under federal law.
The order stated that acknowledging “identity-based” gender undermines “cherished legal rights and values” and distorts protections meant for women.
This move reversed prior guidance under the Biden administration, which had supported transgender rights under federal anti-discrimination statutes.
The order strengthened Trump’s position on transgender athletes, marking it as a key cultural issue during his second term.
Supporters praised the action for defending women’s rights. Critics condemned it as discriminatory and regressive in modern gender politics.