Donald Trump bashes two ‘crazy’ gold medalist Olympic athletes despite Imane Khelif's lawsuit: ‘It's so demeaning to….’

Donald Trump on Saturday again decried two gold medalist Olympic athletes, falsely labeling the female boxers as men.

Updated on: Aug 18, 2024, 20:56:59 IST

APPosted by Shweta Kukreti

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Former President Donald Trump on Saturday again decried two gold medalist Olympic athletes, falsely labeling the female boxers as men.

Donald Trump has long criticised transgender people as part of his rallies and focused specifically on transgender athletes, using language about gender identity that LGBTQ advocates say is wrong and harmful. (AP)

Trump made the comments while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and pledging to “keep men out of women's sports,” turned his attention to the recently concluded Olympic Games and the case of two athletes who became the subject of international scrutiny regarding misconceptions about their gender.

Trump has long criticized transgender people as part of his rallies and focused specifically on transgender athletes, using language about gender identity that LGBTQ advocates say is wrong and harmful.

In the case of the two boxers, both Imane Khelif of Algeria and Li Yu-ting of Taiwan have faced misconceptions about their gender created by the fallout from the Olympic-banished International Boxing Association’s decision last year to disqualify both fighters from the world championships for allegedly failing an eligibility test.

Also Read: Imane Khelif stuns internet with her ‘absolutely gorgeous’ looks after Olympic gender row

Trump did not mention the athletes by name but remarked that “in the Olympics, they had two transitioned."

“They were men. They transitioned to women, and they were in the boxing,” Trump said.

Despite being born and raised as women, Khelif and Lin found themselves in the crosshairs of Western debates about gender, sex and sports after failing the unspecified and untransparent eligibility tests for women’s competition from the now-banned International Boxing Association.

Trump and other prominent figures have complained about Khelif being allowed to compete and Trump has previously referred to Khelif as a man.

On Saturday, he did so again and in describing both athletes competing in the games as “crazy” and said, “It's so demeaning to women.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shweta Kukreti
Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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