President Donald Trump is facing sharp backlash after mocking transgender athletes during a commencement speech at the University of Alabama on Thursday night.
In front of a cheering crowd at Coleman Coliseum, Trump acted out a crude impression of a transgender weightlifter, complete with grunts, exaggerated movements, and high-pitched noises. He used the bit to criticize transgender women competing in female sports — a topic he’s repeatedly used to rile up his base.
“The greatest is like weightlifting, you ever see the weightlifting? Where they have a record that wasn’t broken in 18 years,” Trump said. He paused before asking, “Should I imitate him? My wife gets very upset when I do this. She says, ‘Darling, it’s not presidential.’ I say, ‘Yeah, but people like it.’”
“Should I do it?” he asked again, as the audience egged him on.
“Mom, I’m gonna do it,” Trump said, then launched into his mocking routine. He pretended to be a struggling female lifter before switching to a “transitioned person” who easily breaks the record: “Then a guy comes along or a gal or whatever,” he said. “A transitioned person and he was a failed weightlifter as a male, but he comes along 206 pounds, they put the little thing on and just ‘boom, boom, boom.’”
“That’s not right,” he added.
However, it was his tasteless gag that caught the attention of many on social media — not just the message, but how many times he’s repeated it.
“I cringe every single time he does this bit. He doesn’t even have smug self-awareness to see how embarrassing he’s being,” one user wrote. “He’s got such advanced dementia that he probably always thinks it’s the first time he has done it.”
One critic dubbed it the “ORGASMIC WEIGHTLIFTER routine,” slamming the bizarre delivery. Another asked how long “gasbag” Trump has been using the same disgusting act.
Watch the clip below:
Trump's speech yesterday at the University of Alabama's graduation ceremony.
• The funniest scene is when he imitated a girl and a transgender person who gained the same weight in a weightlifting competition. 😂😂
• He said: "I know you'll argue with me when I get… pic.twitter.com/yA244P3tAt
— Sherry (@sh0ee0) May 2, 2025
