On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, marking his latest policy move affecting transgender individuals since his return to office.
“From now on, women’s sports will be exclusively for women. With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump declared before signing the order at the White House. He was joined by dozens of children and female athletes.
Among those in attendance at the signing ceremony were top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“We will defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to overpower, injure, or cheat our women and girls,” Trump declared, receiving applause and cheers.
The executive order grants U.S. government agencies the authority to withhold funding from schools that permit transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams.
“If you allow men to take over women’s sports teams or enter female locker rooms, you will be investigated and risk losing federal funding,” Trump warned.
He also announced plans to urge the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to revise its policies on transgender athletes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Trump stated that he had instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “make it clear” to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the U.S. expects changes to Olympic policies regarding transgender athletes. “We want them to change everything related to the Olympics and this ridiculous subject,” he said.
Additionally, Trump announced that he had directed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to deny visa applications from “men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes to try and get into the Games.”
Since the start of his second term, the Republican president has aggressively targeted gender non-conforming individuals through a series of executive orders advancing his right-wing agenda.
During his inauguration speech, Trump declared that U.S. government policy would recognize only two genders—male and female—effectively eliminating the option of a third gender in official settings. Shortly after, he signed an order aimed at removing what he called “transgender ideology” from the military, effectively banning transgender troops. Another order restricted gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 19.
Despite transgender individuals comprising only a small minority of the U.S. population, Trump has aggressively pursued policies restricting their rights. During the 2024 election campaign, he repeatedly criticized Democrats on the contentious issue of transgender rights, leveraging the broader culture war to rally his base.
One of his most effective attack lines against his opponent, Kamala Harris, was: “Kamala Harris is for they/them. President Trump is for you.” The slogan was aimed at highlighting her support for transgender rights.
Trump also took aim at Harris’s past endorsement of gender reassignment procedures for incarcerated individuals.
Trump’s executive order on Wednesday follows the Republican-led House of Representatives’ passage of a bill in January that significantly restricts transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
As transgender individuals have become more visible in the United States, debates over gender norms and fairness have intensified. In response, many conservatives have rallied around the issue of protecting women’s sports.
