Trump Blasts SCOTUS Justices as ‘Fighting Hard for Men’ in Landmark Trans Sports Case
In a fiery White House press conference, President Donald Trump launched a direct attack on members of the U.S. Supreme Court following last week’s historic hearings on transgender athletes in women’s sports. Expressing disbelief, Trump singled out justices who appeared sympathetic to the plaintiffs—transgender women challenging state bans—stating, “Some of the justices were fighting hard for men to be able to play in women’s sports. A couple of them, I can’t imagine it. But I think anybody that rules that way should lose a lot of credibility.” The president framed the issue as a matter of fundamental fairness, citing athletic records in weightlifting, swimming, and track. “This is not fair. It’s very demeaning to women,” he asserted, while reaffirming his administration’s ban on transgender women in female sports.
The justices in Trump’s crosshairs appear to be the Court’s liberal members, notably Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, whose pointed questioning during the hearings suggested a potential vote in favor of the transgender athletes. Justice Jackson pressed attorneys for Idaho and West Virginia on whether their laws—the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act—discriminate based on transgender status, asking, “It treats transgender women different than ciswomen, doesn’t it?” Meanwhile, Justice Sotomayor emphasized the humanity of the estimated 2.8 million transgender Americans, questioning what population size merits protection. Their line of inquiry stood in stark contrast to the visible reaction of conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who was observed slouching with his hand over his face during parts of the proceeding.
The nation now awaits a ruling that promises to be a definitive turning point in the culture war over gender, identity, and athletics. While the conservative-leaning Court recently upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors in a 6-3 decision, a prior 5-4 vote blocking parts of the Biden administration’s Title IX protections—with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch siding with liberals—demonstrates the potential for unpredictability. As legal and political tensions reach a fever pitch, President Trump’s extraordinary public pressure on the judiciary underscores the profound national stakes, with the credibility of the Court itself becoming part of the heated public debate.
