Sophie Cunningham’s firm stance against trans women entering the WNBA has snowballed into a national debate on whether she’s right or wrong.
President Donald Trump, it appears, is a fervent supporter of Cunningham’s beliefs. He took to today’s South Carolina rally to call out the WNBA and anybody who believes that transgender athletes should be allowed in women’s sports.
President Donald Trump Calls Out The “Radical Left”
President Trump addressed pro-trans activists at his rally today, saying, “Can you imagine being like 20 years ago and you’d have a presidential candidate or a President standing up saying, ‘We will not allow men to play in women’s sports’? They’d say, ‘This guy’s crazy.’
“Now it’s like a battle, can you believe it?” he continued. “Or transgender mutilization of your children will take place. Now, can you imagine saying that 20 years ago, 15 years ago? They’d take the guy off and put him in a cage.”
Trump: “Can you imagine 20 years ago having a president standing up, saying, ‘We will not allow men to play in women’s sports’? They’d say, ‘This guy’s crazy!'” pic.twitter.com/G2t8nFy2Ux
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 22, 2026
President Trump has been against the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports for quite some time now.
On February 5, 2025, he signed an Executive Order 14201 titled ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’. This is in line with sports leagues such as the World Tennis Association and the Union Cycliste Internationale banning trans women from competing in their events.
At the rally, Trump then said, “I actually have to get up and fight for no men playing in women’s sports. No transgender surgery of your children. It’s not even believable, but that’s the radical left. They’re crazy, and you can’t let them get involved any further with this.”
While this is a political rally organized by President Trump and the Republican Party, there have been rallies and protests across the nation, held by organizations such as ‘Texas Values’ and ‘Moms For Liberty.’
The most recent one took place outside the American Airlines Center prior to tip-off of Wings Vs. Fever.
D’Rinda Randall, Chair of the Republican Party of Texas, was at this protest and said, “Now we’re having to fight for our girls and our women to stay in the sports that they have been gifted to do.”
Christie Slape, the Texas Ambassador for ‘Moms For Liberty,’ was also present as she heaped praise on Cunningham, saying, “Sophie exudes courage and confidence in a world seemingly full of chaos and confusion.”
Awesome: Female supporters of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham rallied outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas Thursday night ahead of the Wings game, backing her stance on keeping men out of women’s sports to protect fairness, safety, and opportunities for female… pic.twitter.com/0ZejOoquCo
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) August 21, 2026
On July 23, former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that President Trump hadn’t reached out to Cunningham by that point but was “following the story.”
As of today, there is no official statement from the WNBA on trans women’s inclusion in the W. In their current CBA, which runs until 2032, they haven’t defined the term ‘woman’ but have stated that only women are allowed in the league.
