'Absolutely Cringe': Donald Trump's Imitation of Trans-Athletes In Speech To House GOP Members Draws Ire- WATCH

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump's imitation of transgender athlete participating in a weightlifting competition during his interaction with the Republicans at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday drew ire. 

The White House’s “Rapid Response 47” account shared a clip of the impression on X, captioning it as “@POTUS on his imitation of ‘trans athletes’ in women's sports: ‘My wife HATES when I do this."

As per the viral video, the president first pretended to be a woman lifting weights, grunting and gesturing as he did so. 

Adding further, he added that his wife, first lady Melania Trump, dislikes his dancing and weightlifting impression. 

He imitated a female weight-lifter and her struggles, and then imitated a trans-athlete 

Trump, referring to former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was paralysed below the waist, said “She actually said, ‘Could you imagine FDR dancing?".

Trump later said the first lady thinks “the weightlifting is terrible,” before launching into his routine. 

Trump while finishing the impression added, “Drops the thing, walks off the stage crying. Her mother’s crying, her father’s crying,” as per the viral video.

Trump's imitation draws backlash

As the video went viral, the netizens were quick to react with some users criticising the president’s rhetoric.

One user wrote, "The joke is on Americans. They elected a Joker.

Another user commented, "Kidnapping sitting presidents one day, doing stand up the next, leading the free worlds to greater heights - this is the absolute peak of human existence lol."

Another comment read, "There’s a reason she hates it. But I’m guessing it’s not just bc of this."

Another user said, We love the dancing, don't listen to her."

‘Absolutely cringe’, said another user while reacting to the imitation.

“What bizarre dimension have we slipped into? This is so embarrassing,” another user wrote.

Not the first time

This isn’t the first time Trump has mocked transgender weightlifters.  During his May 2025 commencement speech at the University of Alabama, President Donald Trump mocked the inclusion of transgender women in athletics by performing a grunting impersonation of a female weightlifter.

On that occasion, Trump remarked that Melania disapproved of his impersonations, joking that he would face her scrutiny upon returning home. Despite this, the President remains deeply committed to the issue of transgender athletes; in February 2025, he formalized this stance by signing the presidential action "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports."

He said, “Then a guy comes along, or a gal, or whatever. A transitioned person comes along, and he was a failed weightlifter as a man, but he comes along, 206 pounds...and he breaks the record.”

Trump administration to ban transgender

The United States military has announced in February last year that it will no longer accept transgender people hoping to enlist, or facilitate gender affirmation procedures for active service members. 

The memo filed at the US District Court in Washington, DC, on Monday is the latest effort by the administration of President Donald Trump to roll back protections for transgender people. 

“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in the memo, which was dated February 7.

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