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Donald Trump’s digital campaign strategy of talking to conservative male podcasters to spread his hypermasculine messaging took him on Monday to the podcast hosted by Mark Calaway, the former professional wrestler known as “The Undertaker.” The softball interview offered plenty of kissing up to Trump, but one moment in particular stood out.
To peddle some of Trump’s anti-trans propaganda, Calaway brought in his adolescent daughter, who sat on his knee as Trump rattled off a fact-free diatribe about two purportedly trans boxers who, he claims, dominated the Olympics in France. Trump then tells the girl she doesn’t want to compete in sports against men and tells a rambling story about a “beautiful Italian girl” defeated by a man. Trump has incorporated a fake story about Algerian women’s boxing gold medalist Imane Khelif purportedly being a man into his campaign stump speech — even though there’s literally no truth to it. (Not a single trans person competed in this year’s Olympic games.)
Republicans have poured tens of millions of dollars into anti-trans ads this campaign season, and recent reports indicate that anti-trans propaganda will play a large role in the GOP’s closing campaign messaging.
But trans athletes aren’t actually a threat to women’s sports, according to experts who work in and around women’s sports. The talking point is just a cheap way for Trump — a man who has been found liable for sex abuse by a jury — to project that he cares about women and to portray himself as their “protector.”
“Thank you for taking care of women’s sports,” Calaway says while holding his daughter. “Obviously, it’s near and dear to my heart.”
It’s worth noting that amid all this talk about sticking up for women, neither of these men have spoken out about the civil lawsuit accusing WWE founder and former executive Vince McMahon of abuse and sex trafficking (the lawsuit was paused in May pending a federal investigation by the Southern District of New York; McMahon has denied any wrongdoing). So Trump and Calaway are being oddly selective in deciding which women are worthy of their so-called protection.
The clip wraps up rather awkwardly, with Trump praising the tween’s “good hands” after he finds out she plays football. Trump promises to keep a look out, saying, “I’ll be watching.”
Every teenage girl’s dream, I’m sure.