Trump's trans weightlifter impression slammed as 'embarrassing' moment in presidential history

Donald Trump's latest controversy surrounds his "embarrassing" impression of a transgender weightlifter – and the internet certainly didn't hold back.

During his remarks at the House GOP's annual retreat on Tuesday (6 January), the president acknowledged how his wife Melania hates his dancing and weightlifting impression, but proceeded to do it anyway.

"She actually said, 'Could you imagine FDR dancing?'" Trump shared, referring to former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was paralysed below the waist after contracting polio.

He then went on to say Melania thinks "the weightlifting is terrible," before pretending to be a woman lifting weights, gesturing holding a barbell.

"And you see – I want to be more, but I have somebody watching. I want to be more effusive. I want to be really yagghuhuhhh," he added.

"Drops the thing, walks off the stage crying. Her mother’s crying, her father’s crying," Trump rounded off.

The White House’s "Rapid Response 47" account shared a clip of the impression on X, captioning it: "@POTUS on his imitation of 'trans athletes’ in women's sports: ‘My wife HATES when I do this.'" The post also included three laughing emojis.

It didn't take long for the clip to be flooded with reactions on social media, with one summing it up as: "Everyone is twelve."

U.S. Representative Jim McGovern wrote that he hopes Trump "gets the help he needs," after watching the clip.

Meanwhile, a third slammed his performance as "embarrassing," daring anyone to challenge that.

Commentator Ed Krasenstein wrote: "This is the photo that history books should use of Trump when they tell the story of the worst President America has ever had.

"Yes, it’s a real photo."

Commentator Harry Sisson added: "This is a real photo of Donald Trump. A national and global embarrassment."

You should also read...

• Peruvian shaman makes chilling prediction about Donald Trump for 2026
• People think satire is dead after this bizarre Trump headline about Venezuela's Maduro

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.