Donald Trump Slammed Over 'Grotesque' Imane Khelif Comment

US President Donald Trump has been heavily criticised after incorrectly referring to Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif as transgender.

Khelif, from Algeria, won the gold medal in the women's welterweight boxing event at Paris 2024.

In the previous year, the 26-year-old and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.

However, that competition was ran by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which was later stripped of its status by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over concerns over how it was being ran.

Khelif and Lin were both cleared to compete at the Olympics, and both won gold medals in their respective categories.

In May, World Boxing announced that all fighters would have to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test before being made eligible to compete.

Khelif has not undergone the test and is therefore banned from World Boxing events. She launched an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the introduction of mandatory tests in September.

During an address to Republican Party members in Washington, President Trump took aim at transgender athletes and incorrectly used Khelif - and her win over Italy's Angela Carini in Paris - as an example.

During a fiery address to Republican lawmakers, U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at transgender athletes, sparking new controversy by referencing Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif while arguing against transgender participation in women’s sports.

The remark came during a… pic.twitter.com/2zGOP3iLlq

— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) January 7, 2026

Khelif is biologically female, with no supported medical evidence published that states otherwise.

He said: "The girl was a champion boxer from Italy, remember? She got up, first round. He hit her, boom, with a left ... but a left is defence.

"He happened to win the gold medal, that young woman. He won the gold medal. There were two transitioned people, they both won gold medals. The whole thing is ridiculous."

LGBTQ+ news website Pink News wrote that President Trump had 'once again mocked transgender athletes by performing a grotesque impression during a speech in which he also referenced Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is not trans."