Trump, Again, Refers To Female Olympic Boxers As Men.

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

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.

Much of the speculation about Khelif’s gender stems from a disqualification at the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships by the International Boxing Association for an unspecified gender eligibility test. The IBA, which has ties to the Kremlin and does not oversee boxing at the Olympics, has suggested that Khelif and another boxer, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, have XY chromosomes and/or have elevated testosterone levels.

It is unclear how legitimate these claims are. The IBA has released few details of the testing, and the International Olympic Committee, which no longer recognizes the organization as the global federation for boxing, has condemned the IBA’s testing process, calling it “arbitrary” and “flawed.” Even if the IBA’s claims are true, however, it’s incorrect to call Khelif and Lin men or transgender women.

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.

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.

Imane Khelif has told Donald Trump to stay out of sports after he referred to her as a man following her Olympic gold medal win.

“The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport. This is not a transgender case,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said in an Aug. 2 press conference.

Trump and other prominent figures have complained about Khelif being allowed to compete.

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.”

Olympic Boxers.Photo byGetty Images