Trump chastises crowd for not applauding trans sports ban

President Donald Trump has chastised journalists and attendees for failing to applaud his administration’s ban on trans women competing in female sports categories.

Speaking on 5 August, Trump highlighted his executive order titled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, which mandates that athletes must compete based on their sex assigned at birth. The order has already been adopted by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“It’s amazing the way I don’t hear any applause for that,” Trump said, visibly frustrated by the silence in the room. “Nobody wants to clap, it’s crazy,” he added, prompting a few awkward claps from the assembled media.

The executive order has been widely condemned by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, athletes, and legal experts. Critics argue that it undermines the rights and dignity of trans individuals and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. The policy also includes provisions for “strong testing” to determine eligibility, with Trump suggesting genetic testing could be considered.

Policies like these do nothing to protect women - they only serve to marginalise trans people further.

The president’s remarks come amid a broader push by his administration to enforce exclusionary policies in sport and immigration. Just days earlier, trans athletes were barred from applying for “extraordinary ability” visas to compete in elite US sporting events.

Trans rights advocates have called the move a “cruel and unnecessary attack” on a vulnerable community. “Sport should be a place of inclusion, not exclusion,” said one spokesperson from a leading LGBTQ+ organisation. “Policies like these do nothing to protect women - they only serve to marginalise trans people further.”