The Role of Sports in Trump’s First 100 Days

From targeting trans athletes, doing a lap at the Daytona 500, and taking in a UFC show, here is how Trump uses sports to fuel a culture war & present a facade of strength in his first 100 days.

President Donald Trump at the Daytona 500 (Credit: The White House)

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On his first day back in office on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders at a makeshift desk set up in the middle of the Capital One Arena, home to the Washington Wizards NBA team, as well as the Washington Capitals hockey team.

With each executive action signed, Trump would pause for dramatic effect before holding up the signature before the estimated 20,000 supporters, who roared and cheered in approval. He then tossed his signing pens to the supporters, promising to sign plenty more at the White House.

The event, which replaced the traditional parade due to frosty weather conditions, foreshadowed the symbolic role that sports would play in Trump’s second term. As Trump proceeded to blaze his way through global politics in his chaotic first 100 days, launching economic wars, slashing federal budgets, and threatening to annex everything from Canada to Greenland, sports continue to offer Trump a safe haven to project strength and popularity, all while presenting a facade of stability.

Yet despite his presence at events such as the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, and the UFC presenting the image of a beloved leader taking victory laps before adoring crowds, Trump’s “America First” agenda is wildly unpopular. Over the course of 100 days, Trump has alienated the U.S.’ closest allies, emboldened its adversaries, and unraveled the global order America helped form following World War II. He has also undertaken some authoritarian policies, including attacks on universities, indifference to court decisions, and abductions of migrants as part of an aggressive deportation effort.

As Trump continues to barrel his way through the global politics, the president will continue to rely on sports as a public relations tool—a way to garner positive coverage, fuel his culture war, and galvanize his MAGA base. And since today—April 29—marks his 100th day in office, I felt it was time to assess just how important a role sports have played in the Trump presidency so far.

“Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”

On February 5, 2025—coinciding with Women and Girls in Sports Day—President Trump signed an order titled, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The order, which bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, marked an aggressive shift in the president’s legislative agenda, fulfilling a promise that was at the centre of his 2024 campaign.

“From now on, women's sports will be only for women,” Trump said.

The following day, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) which governs college sports in the U.S., changed its policy for transgender athletes by limiting participation in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth. This policy shift occurred despite the fact that trans athletes account for less than 0.002% of the NCAA’s 500,000 athletes.

Trump also said that the US would do everything in its powers to deny trans athletes the opportunity to compete against athletes assigned female at birth during the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He even mused denying visas for transgender Olympic athletes who attempt to compete at the event, adding “my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes."

Since then, more than two dozen House and Senate Republicans called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to update its eligibility rules to align with Trump’s transgender sports ban, underscoring the pressure campaign that the US is currently undertaking against the world’s biggest international sports governing body.

“In preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics, commitment from the I.O.C. to protect women’s sports is paramount,” the Republicans wrote in a letter to outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach. It remains unclear whether his successor, Kirsty Coventry, will cave to Trump’s demands.

While Trump and Republicans claim that their anti-trans agenda is about protecting women’s sports, that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are real threats facing women’s sports, such as sexual abuse scandals, pay disparities, and limited access in developing nations. However, the notion that trans athletes are among those threats is nothing more than a myth.

Trans athletes make up an incredibly small percentage of competitors and the vast majority do not dominate their sports or win championships. In Minnesota, where trans inclusion has been standard for over a decade, there’s been no seismic shift in women’s sports, just more girls getting the chance to play the sports they love.

Super Bowl Trump

Since taking office in January, Donald Trump has pushed his political agenda at breakneck speed. Executive orders, mass firings, migrant abductions, and a global trade war have unfolded with dizzying intensity.

Amid the chaos, Trump has still carved out time for a steady stream of sports appearances. He showed up at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, becoming the first sitting president to attend the American spectacle. He took a lap in his motorcade at the Daytona 500 in Florida, a PR joyride that cost taxpayers millions of dollars. He also made stops at the NCAA wrestling championships and UFC 314 in Miami, where he was treated to an elaborate entrance alongside members of his cabinet.

While Trump has been a frequent presence at sports events in the decades preceding his presidency, his recent string of strategic appearances and publicity stunts emphasizes how sports have emerged as a centerpiece of his political brand.

(LIV) Golf Diplomacy

In the introduction to his 2005 book The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received, Trump wrote, "for me and millions of people—men, women, young and old around the world—golf is more than a game. It is a passion".

This is no understatement. In his first 100 days in office, Trump spent 24 of them golfing — nearly a quarter of his presidency, per the website Trump Golf Track. These frequent weekend trips to Mar-a-Lago have cost US taxpayers tens of millions, including expenses for Air Force One, Secret Service details, and county resources.

Beyond his abuse of government funds for his golf trips, Trump has long used golf as a means of diplomacy. During his first presidency, he struck up a friendship with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. The Japanese leader was particularly skilled at ingratiating himself to Trump through golf, gifting him golden golf clubs and even nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

That relationship has now become a blueprint for other stakeholders interested in improving relations with the U.S. One such figure is Yassir Al-Rumayyan, who heads Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), oversees its oil giant Aramco, and serves as chairman of Premier League club Newcastle United.