Riley Gaines was impressed with American basketball player Caitlin Clark's views on the current presidential campaign in the USA. Clark was asked whether she endorsed Kamala Harris, given that she had liked Taylor Swift's post over the same.
Caitlin Clark gave a polite but firm answer as she spoke in a press meeting (shared by both Fox News and USA Today),
"I think for myself, I have this amazing platform. So, I think the biggest thing would be is to encourage people to register to vote. I think this is the second time that I could vote in an election. That's the biggest thing I can do with the platform that I have - the same thing that Taylor did."
Riley Gaines appreciated Caitlin Clark's approach in this regard, and posted on her X account [formerly Twitter],
"Perfect answer from Caitlin Clark when asked by a reporter if she would be endorsing Kamala Harris. She urged everyone to do their own research and exercise their constitutional right to vote. What's not to like about Clark?"
Riley Gaines is a former NCAA champion swimmer who is best known for her persistent campaign against Lia Thomas, which resulted in partial success after World Aquatics barred transgender athletes from taking part in women's sports, especially during the Olympics. Since then, Gaines has raised the cause of women's sports through every medium possible.
Riley Gaines' views on Kamala Harris' approach to women's sports
Riley Gaines has been vocal about the need to protect women's sports from any discrimination, including the entry of transgender athletes into women's sports. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, the current vice president of the USA, is representing the Democrat Party as the presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.
Harris has been supportive of including transgenders in women's sports, though she has never directly endorsed it on any platform. In March 2024, she wrote a cryptic post on X [formerly Twitter],
"My message is clear : The government should not tell women what to do with their own bodies."
However, Kamala Harris doesn't have unanimous backing on this front. Some of her most vocal supporters, like Martina Navratilova back Riley Gaines' demands of banning transgenders from women's sports.
Riley Gaines also demanded Kamala Harris' views on the assault on female players, as she recounted an attack on a female hockey player by her transgender rival, as she posted on her X account [formerly Twitter],
"Hey Kamala Harris, how many girls have to get their teeth knocked out by boys in their sports before you acknowledge how unsafe & unfair this is?
Listen to her screams in this video. Her teammates couldn’t even bear to look. This is the result of your progressive policies."
Riley Gaines has been persistent in her demands to bar transgenders from participating in women's sports. While some sports like swimming, athletics, rugby, cricket, etc. have endorsed her claims by banning biological males from participating in the respective sports, the International Olympic Committee has been rather indecisive in this regard. Riley Gaines had also been critical of the inclusion of athletes like Lin yu Ting, Imane Khelif, etc. at the Paris Olympics.