Can Donald Trump really ban transgender athletes? Does US President have such powers?

One of President-elect Donald Trump's most popular talking points during his campaign centered on the future of transgender athletes. Trump revisited the topic multiple times in the months and weeks before the election, suggesting at his rallies that one of the goals of his second term would be to “keep men out of women's sports." Millions were spent on advertising that turned something that affects a tiny minority of competitors into a wedge issue, AP reported.

More than half of voters overall — and the vast majority of Trump supporters — said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide.

What, exactly, Trump will do when he takes office on January 20 is unclear. His transition team has not divulged any specifics, though the president-elect said during his campaign that the process would be 'easy'.


What are Presidential Powers?

Trump has said on Day 1 that he would cut federal funding to "any school pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.”

There are several layers to this, but the most immediate would be how his administration interprets Title IX, the law best known for its role in pursuing gender equity in athletics and preventing sexual harassment on campuses.

Every administration has the authority to issue its own interpretations of the landmark legislation. The last two presidential administrations — including Trump’s first — offer a glimpse at the push-pull involved.

Betsy DeVos, the education secretary during Trump's first term, issued a Title IX policy in 2020 that narrowed the definition of sexual harassment and required colleges to investigate claims only if they’re reported to certain officials.

The Biden administration rolled back that policy in April with one of its own that stipulated the rights of LGBTQ+ students would be protected by federal law and provided new safeguards for victims of campus sexual assault. The policy stopped short of explicitly addressing transgender athletes. Still, more than a half-dozen Republican-led states immediately challenged the new rule in court.

How many Transgender Athletes are Actively Competing?

That number is up for debate. The NCAA, for example, does not track data on transgender athletes among the 544,000 currently competing on 19,000 teams at various levels across the country, though NCAA president Charlie Baker testified in Congress on Tuesday that he was aware of less than 10 active NCAA athletes who identified as transgender.

And how about Olympic level?

The International Olympic Committee has essentially passed the buck, deferring to the international federations for each sport. That could change, however, when a new IOC president comes on to replace the retiring Thomas Bach.

Former track star Sebastian Coe, now the leader of World Athletics, is among the candidates up for election in March. Coe has been a strong proponent of limiting participation to cisgender women.

FAQs

Q1. What is Donald Trump's age?
A1. Donald Trump's age is 78-year-old.

Q2. What is the full form of IOC?
A2. IOC stands for International Olympic Committee.