"It was a very unfair situation"- Donald Trump weighs in on Riley Gaines' loss to Lia Thomas and lauds the swimmer for efforts after executive order

Riley Gaines received a shout-out from 45th and 47th US President, Donald Trump, who recently signed the executive order to ban transgender athletes from women's sports. Gaines has been a vocal advocate against transgender participation since her NCAA days.

Riley Gaines was a swimmer at the University of Kentucky, where she earned 12 All-American honors and two top podium finishes at the SEC Championships. At the 2022 NCAA Championships, she tied with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200-yard event, both finishing fifth, but Thomas was ultimately placed ahead of her. This incident prompted Gaines to become an activist, advocating for the protection of women's sports.

On Wednesday, January 5, 2025, the newly elected and 47th US President, Donald Trump, signed an executive order to ban transgender athletes from women's sports, in alignment with Title IX. In his speech, he gave a shout out to Gaines for being the frontrunner of the movement.

"We're honored to be joined today by many incredible advocates for women's sports, including the brave swimmer at the forefront of this battle, and Riley Gaines is a person that I've been watching sport hard. Riley was a 12 time All-American, well that's pretty good, 12 time All-American who sacrificed countless hours in the pool just for a chance at the title that's so important to her."

Trump added"

"She gave up everything and just gave everything she had, but then the league forced her to share a spot on the podium with a male swimmer who took her trophy while the media celebrated this stolen glory and Riley is just a tremendous athlete and it was a very unfair situation. I watched it, a lot of people watched it, it was ridiculous frankly, but I want to thank Riley. She really has been in the forefront. People that aren't that well versed in this would say that she was the leader and great job Riley. Thank you very much."

Riley Gaines applauded Penn State swimmers for filing a lawsuit against the administrative bodies

Riley Gaines at the House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing Examining Female Athletics And Title IX - (Source: Getty)

Riley Gaines made headlines after joining 15 other athletes in a lawsuit against the NCAA in March 2024. Cut to February 2025, three swimmers from Penn also filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, Ivu League and Harvard for breaching Title IX.

The 24-year-old took to her X handle to write:

"A new bombshell lawsuit has just been filed by three UPenn swimmers against the Ivy League, Harvard, and the NCAA, citing Title IX violations. More of THIS. Serendipitous timing. It’s due time to hold accountable those who declared womanhood was nothing more than a feeling."

Gaines was also part of a similar movement in 2023, protesting at the NCAA Convention besides campaigning in Donald Trump's rallies.