The president agrees with the WNBA player’s comments that transgender athletes should not participate in women’s sports, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
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Trump officials are amplifying WNBA player Sophie Cunningham’s comments that transgender athletes should not participate in women’s sports, seizing on her remarks to reinforce President Donald Trump’s position on the issue.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that Trump is “following” coverage of Cunningham’s remarks and feels strongly about the issue. Trump moved swiftly last year to roll back transgender policies implemented by the Biden administration, including issuing an executive order that aimed to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
“We want to protect women and girls,” Leavitt said at a White House briefing, saying that Cunningham was speaking the “truth” about transgender female athletes. “And the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing.”
Cunningham, who plays for the Indiana Fever, made the remarks in an ESPN article earlier this week and told reporters on Wednesday that she stood by them.
“I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham told ESPN. The remarks drew pushback from some other WNBA players while earning praise from GOP politicians and high-profile women’s athletes, such as tennis legend Martina Navratilova.
The Education Department posted an image of Cunningham wearing a crown accompanied by the message that “common sense prevails.”
Polls have shown that most Americans agree with Cunningham. Seven in 10 voters think that transgender women and girls should not be allowed to play on women’s and girls’ school sports teams, according to a June poll released by Quinnipiac University.
Cunningham’s comments drew pushback from some prominent WNBA figures who said that transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports and characterized the debate as overblown, citing the relatively small numbers of transgender athletes. There has never been a publicly out transgender female in the WNBA.
Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve said this week that the attacks on transgender people had become “way more aggressive” and called it “sort of sickening” that lawmakers were focusing on what she described as a problem that “really [is] not” one.
“Exclusion is never the answer, separate isn’t equal, and trans lives matter,” Reeve said, adding that she hoped people would become “more educated” about transgender athletes.
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Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner, who was briefly a teammate of Cunningham last year, amplified Reeve’s remarks in a series of social media posts. “Beautifully said,” Turner wrote. “I’ve been an advocate for the trans community since I entered the WNBA. So many takes about them are based on fearmongering and bigotry.”
Cunningham made her initial comments on transgender athletes in a lengthy ESPN article that reviewed her career, playing style and growing public profile. The 29-year-old Cunningham has drawn considerable attention since becoming the teammate of Caitlin Clark, arguably the highest-profile U.S. women’s basketball player, last year.
Cunningham said Wednesday that her comments were “common sense” and intended to protect young female athletes, the Athletic reported. “I stand on what I said,” she reportedly said.
In a statement, the Fever told The Washington Post that the organization supported Cunningham’s ability to express her beliefs.
“Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” the Fever said. “We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.”
The White House has previously amplified Cunningham through their platforms. Officials last month spliced video of her pointing — a gesture that went viral when Cunningham did it to another player during a game — into a clip of Trump making a similar gesture.
Cunningham has declined to identify herself with a specific political party.
“I’m very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides,” Cunningham told ESPN. “And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”
Her recent comments, including posts that commented on the drawbacks of building data centers and praised military veterans, have drawn speculation that she may be positioning for a post-playing career in politics.
“I don’t know anything about her political views, but she will be the vice-presidential candidate” by the year 2048, cultural critic Chuck Klosterman predicted on an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” earlier this month.
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