A shared stance on transgender athletes has revealed an increasingly collaborative relationship between the administrations of former President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, alongside their coordinated efforts to address illegal immigration.
During a meeting at the White House on Monday, Trump directly questioned Bukele about allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports. “Do you allow men to play in women’s sports? Do you allow men to box your women?” he asked.
Bukele responded with concern, stating: “That’s violence.” Trump echoed this sentiment, adding, “That’s abusive…but we have people that fight to the death because they think men should be able to play in women’s sports.”
The exchange followed a discussion on immigration and the implementation of what Trump described as “common sense” policies. Bukele further elaborated on his perspective, highlighting concerns about potential reversals of progress made in protecting women from abuse.
“I think those laws were great because there were a lot of men abusing women, but now some of the same people are trying to backtrack and actually trying to make new laws allowing men to abuse women, as in sports,” he asserted. “So actually, that doesn’t make sense.”
This alignment on the issue comes after Trump issued an executive order in February titled “No Men in Women’s Sports.” This directive prohibits individuals assigned male at birth from competing in women’s athletic programs and mandates investigations by the Department of Education to address potential violations. The order also extends to access to facilities, barring those assigned male at birth from using women’s restrooms.
Following this action, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced its support, pledging to adhere to the new guidelines and restrict participation in women’s sports to individuals assigned female at birth.
As stated by NCAA President Charlie Baker: “The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.”
Key Points:
- Trump and Bukele share concerns about allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports.
- The issue has been linked to broader efforts to curb illegal immigration.
- The NCAA has endorsed Trump’s order, seeking a uniform national standard for athletic eligibility.
- Bukele expressed worry that recent legislative efforts could undo protections for women and perpetuate abuse.
Furthermore, the U.S. State Department recently upgraded its travel advisory for El Salvador, deeming it safer than France and other European nations.
