In a speech before Republican legislators in Washington, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, sparked a new controversy by mockingly imitating the French president Emmanuel Macron and, especially, transgender athletes in women’s sports competitions. The moment, captured on video and widely disseminated on social networks, has generated millions of views and divided reactions: laughter among his followers and criticism for considering it offensive and rude.
The episode occurred during a Republican Party meeting, where Trump recounted how he pressured European leaders to raise drug prices and avoid US tariffs. When referring to Macron, the American president adopted a high-pitched, pleading voice, imitating the Frenchman by saying phrases such as “Donald, please, I will do what you want, but don’t tell my people” or “No, no, no, we won’t.” With exaggerated gestures, Trump represented Macron’s supposed submission to his trade demands.
But the climax of the controversy came when Trump attacked the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports. Pretending to be a transgender weightlifter lifting imaginary weights, she performed effusive, cartoonish movements: flailing arms, exaggerated grunts and gestures that many interpreted as obscene or suggestive, simulating an uncontrolled and “cheating” force. “It’s crazy,” Trump repeated as he raised the “weights” with amplified gestures, causing uncomfortable laughter in some of the Republican public and gasps of surprise in others.
This incident adds to the long list of controversial imitations of Trump, who does not hesitate to use physical humor to ridicule opponents. However, in a context of transatlantic tensions and debates about gender identity, the video reinforces the image of a provocative president who is not afraid to cross red lines to entertain – and polarize – his audience.
