{"id":2634215,"date":"2026-07-23T16:08:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-is-following-the-sophie-cunningham-backlash\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:14:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:14:38","slug":"trump-is-following-the-sophie-cunningham-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-is-following-the-sophie-cunningham-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump is &#8216;following&#8217; the Sophie Cunningham backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-is-following-the-sophie-cunningham-backlash%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2634215&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump is reportedly paying attention to the backlash received by WNBA player Sophie Cunningham over her comments opposing men competing in women&#8217;s sports. cunningham, a player for the Indiana Fever, faced criticism and was labeled a &#8220;MAGA Barbie&#8221; after stating in an ESPN interview that men should not participate in women&#8217;s sports. white House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that President Trump supports protecting women&#8217;s sports and believes the backlash against Cunningham is critically important, claiming that most americans agree with her stance. Cunningham defended her position as &#8220;common sense,&#8221; stating her commitment to safeguarding girls&#8217; sports and standing by her comments. The briefing and related coverage highlight ongoing debates over gender and sports policies in the United States.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4657694\/john-solomon-special-government-employee-ethics-scrutiny\/\">White House<\/a> press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday that President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4660471\/supreme-court-fec-ruling-slow-rollout-trump-war-chest-maga-inc\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> is paying attention to the blowback WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has received over her political views.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cunningham, a guard for the Indiana Fever, has been labeled a \u201cMAGA Barbie\u201d over comments she made in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/wnba\/story\/_\/id\/49306657\/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/wnba\/story\/_\/id\/49306657\/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba\">ESPN interview<\/a> earlier this week about not wanting young girls competing against biological men in sports.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4660850\/trump-sophie-cunningham-womens-sports\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump is \u2018following\u2019 the Sophie Cunningham backlash over opposing men in women\u2019s sports<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4660757\/trump-administration-highest-turnover-report\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump\u2019s second administration experiences highest turnover in recent history: Report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4660471\/supreme-court-fec-ruling-slow-rollout-trump-war-chest-maga-inc\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court campaign finance ruling slows rollout of Trump war chest<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe is following the story. As you know, this is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do too \u2014 that men should not be playing in women\u2019s sport,\u201d Leavitt said in response to a question on the topic during Thursday\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4659814\/trump-predicts-another-government-shutdown-in-september\/\">White House<\/a> briefing. \u201cIt\u2019s completely ludicrous that anyone can support that. It\u2019s even more ludicrous that Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth, that men shouldn\u2019t play in women\u2019s sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou want to protect women and girls, and the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing thinkers across the country is astonishing,\u201d she continued. \u201cThey are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again is an 80-20 issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cunningham herself addressed the backlash earlier this week, saying that her position was \u201ccommon sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4660471\/supreme-court-fec-ruling-slow-rollout-trump-war-chest-maga-inc\/\"><strong>SUPREME COURT CAMPAIGN FINANCE RULING SLOWS ROLLOUT OF TRUMP WAR CHEST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI said what I said. I think it\u2019s kind of common sense,\u201d Cunningham <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7464960\/2026\/07\/22\/sophie-cunningham-trans-comments-womens-sports\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7464960\/2026\/07\/22\/sophie-cunningham-trans-comments-womens-sports\/\">told<\/a> the <em>Athletic<\/em>. \u201cAnd I think I\u2019ll always believe in that. I think it\u2019s really important to protect children, and that\u2019s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can watch Leavitt\u2019s briefing in full below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8ytbAVpDBXs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>White House confirms Trump follows Sophie Cunningham&#8217;s backlash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2634216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-ure2pv49m-1784824690117-e1784826761905.jpg?1784812364&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4265,50410,5894,81753,3634],"class_list":["post-2634215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-backlash","tag-controversy-2","tag-politics","tag-sophie-cunningham","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-ure2pv49m-1784824690117-e1784826761905.jpg?1784812364&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2634215"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2634220,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634215\/revisions\/2634220"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2634216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2634215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2634215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2634215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}