Retired soccer star Megan Rapinoe lamented President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, calling the president’s action “really cruel.”
Rapinoe is no stranger to criticizing Trump in the past, previously stating she would not go to the White House should the U.S. women’s national team get invited in 2019 and also accusing Trump of being “a white nationalist” in 2020. Trump argued his executive order, signed in February, seeks to “defend the proud tradition of female athletes” and only allow biological women to compete in them, though Rapinoe has called his claim to protect women’s sports “totally disingenuous.”
“I think it’s just really cruel,” Rapinoe told Mundial magazine. “You know, if you strip it all back, it’s just kind of cruel and depraved. This isn’t an issue and you aren’t going to be able to Executive Order trans people out of existence.”
The sports star and activist also complained that Trump’s order was signed following 10 years of working toward “equal rights and non-discriminatory behavior.”
Rapinoe’s comments caught the attention of social media users, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who both rebuked the soccer player’s opinion on Trump.
“Megan Rapinoe thinks it’s ‘depraved’ that President Trump is standing up to keep men out of women’s sports,” Blackburn wrote on X. “I think it’s depraved that a female athlete won’t put biology first and stand up for her fellow and former teammates.”
Megan Rapinoe thinks it’s “depraved” that President Trump is standing up to keep men out of women’s sports.
I think it’s depraved that a female athlete won’t put biology first and stand up for her fellow and former teammates.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) March 18, 2025
“Megan Rapinoe is the ‘depraved’ one,” Mace wrote.
Megan Rapinoe is the “depraved” one. https://t.co/b6xC2BkiAo
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) March 18, 2025
“The greatest obstacle women face are liberal women,” women’s sports activist Riley Gaines wrote.
The greatest obstacle women face are liberal women https://t.co/8BJ9aoxDbB
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) March 18, 2025
COLLEGES ARE FINALLY ON WATCH FOR IGNORING FEDERAL LAW
Following Trump’s executive order, the NCAA announced that it would change its policy to ban biological males from competing in women’s sports. Trump took a victory lap of the policy change on Truth Social, calling it “a great day for women and girls across our Country.”
The Trump administration is feuding with Maine to address its Title IX violations, giving the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals’ Association, and Greely High School 10 days to resolve the matter. Trump called out Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) in front of a bipartisan group of governors on Feb. 21 for failing to comply with his executive order, threatening to pull federal funding from the state.
