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Viral comments made by Indiana Fever wing Sophie Cunningham about protecting young girls in locker rooms and sports who “shouldn’t have to go against biological men” have reached many homes, including the White House.
Cunningham on Wednesday night reiterated her stance that transgender girls shouldn't play in girls' sports in an interview with reporters prior to the Fever's 123-88 win over the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. By lunchtime Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had been asked about Cunningham's remarks — both Wednesday and in a profile published by ESPN on Tuesday which sparked reactions on social media from those with both viewpoints.
"I don't believe (Donald Trump) has reached out to her. I know he is following the story. As you know, this is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do, too: that men should not be playing in women's sports," Leavitt said during the White House press briefing. "It's completely ludicrous that anyone could support that."
Cunningham, 29, said that her stance is "common sense" and that she will "always believe that" before adding, "I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category."
Her rise in popularity across the WNBA was heightened by joining the Fever after being traded by the Phoenix Mercury in February 2025. Since then, Cunningham has been known for her enforcer-style role to protect Caitlin Clark when things got chippy last season. Cunningham gained nearly 1 million followers on social media after she committed a foul leading to her ejection in a game last season in which Clark was poked in the eye by an opposing player.
Last month, she stuck up for her Fever teammates against the Phoenix Mercury when there were six technical fouls in eight seconds after a kerfuffle. Photos of her finger point to DeWanna Bonner later went viral on social media.
"It's even more ludicrous that you do have (Sophie) Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn't play in women's sports — we want to protect women and girls — and the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing fingers across the country is astonishing," Leavitt said. "They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which is again an 80-20 issue. It's common sense. It's rooted in basic biological fact that men should not be competing against women on playing fields across the country."
In the wide-ranging profile by ESPN, they addressed the connotation of "MAGA Barbie" that some have dubbed Cunningham, a white woman from Columbia, Missouri. One she believes is projected onto her because of her appearance and where she is from.
The question Thursday that prompted Leavitt's response: "(Sophie) Cunningham in the WNBA has been attacked as a MAGA Barbie for saying it's common sense for men to not be in women's sports locker rooms. Is the president following this story and has he reached out to her?"
And while some think Cunningham could become vice president of the United States one day, heightened by author Chuck Klosterman's statement on a podcast with The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Cunningham believes her political beliefs are misunderstood.
"I'm very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides," she told ESPN. "And that's all I've ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume."
Furthermore, when asked Wednesday how she'd advocate for young girls, she said: “I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs, I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those and be true to who I am. I think people are going to take it how they want to take it, but I’ve never really even said anything about that. When it comes just to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that. I think that’s why you have Title IX, that’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports.”
The opinion of limiting transgender girls’ and women’s participation in women’s sports has largely been a view of the Republican party. Multiple states controlled by Republican governments, including Indiana, have banned transgender women from participating in girls' and women’s sports.
The United States Supreme Court, in which the majority of justices hold Republican beliefs, ruled on June 30 that states are allowed to ban transgender women in sports.
Transgender girls’ participation in sports has become a hot-button issue in recent years, with many states and high school athletic associations moving to ban their participation — despite the low number of transgender girls trying to participate in the first place.
WISH-TV reported in February 2025 that just one transgender girl had asked to play on a girls high school sports team in Indiana. She later withdrew her application to play. The Indiana High School Athletic Association's former policy stated that transgender girls could participate for a high school team that matched their gender identity if they could prove, through documentation of hormone suppression and testimony of family and friends, that they had been living as their identified gender for more than a year.
Now, the IHSAA 2025-26 bylaws state that participants are “limited to students whose birth gender matches the gender of the single gender sport.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker told the Senate Judiciary Committee in December 2024 that out of 510,000 athletes, he is aware of fewer than 10 transgender women competing in the collegiate system, according to The Hill. The only out transgender woman that has prevailed in an NCAA Division I championship is Lia Thomas, who won the 500-yard freestyle in March 2022 after taking hormone replacement therapy since 2019.
The NCAA changed its policy on transgender athlete participation in February 2025, and it now “limits competition in women's sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only.”
Cunningham added that her views on transgender girls in sports has nothing to do with her overall position on the transgender community in the U.S.
“I’m there to love, but I’m also there to love biological women, and I think there are rights that need to be protected,” Cunningham said. “Like I said, I’m going to stand true to that. I’m never going to falter in my beliefs in that. But I have never once said I hated the trans community. Like I said, I think there’s space for everyone.”
Title IX, which was passed in 1972, prohibited discrimination based on sex in all federally funded, public educational programs. It mainly affected public universities across the country, mandating equal scholarships, athletic opportunities and funding for men’s and women’s programs (for example, if the men’s basketball team took a charter flight to away games, the program was also required to charter the women’s basketball team to its away games). Women’s sports advocates across the country credit Title IX as saving women’s sports.
The Supreme Court ruling determined that states banning transgender girls’ participation in sports did not violate Title IX.
“If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport,” Cunningham said. “I think in the future, it’s just really important to protect.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Sophie Cunningham receives support from White House on issue Donald Trump 'feels strongly about'
Continue reading...
Cunningham on Wednesday night reiterated her stance that transgender girls shouldn't play in girls' sports in an interview with reporters prior to the Fever's 123-88 win over the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. By lunchtime Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had been asked about Cunningham's remarks — both Wednesday and in a profile published by ESPN on Tuesday which sparked reactions on social media from those with both viewpoints.
"I don't believe (Donald Trump) has reached out to her. I know he is following the story. As you know, this is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do, too: that men should not be playing in women's sports," Leavitt said during the White House press briefing. "It's completely ludicrous that anyone could support that."
Cunningham, 29, said that her stance is "common sense" and that she will "always believe that" before adding, "I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category."
Her rise in popularity across the WNBA was heightened by joining the Fever after being traded by the Phoenix Mercury in February 2025. Since then, Cunningham has been known for her enforcer-style role to protect Caitlin Clark when things got chippy last season. Cunningham gained nearly 1 million followers on social media after she committed a foul leading to her ejection in a game last season in which Clark was poked in the eye by an opposing player.
Last month, she stuck up for her Fever teammates against the Phoenix Mercury when there were six technical fouls in eight seconds after a kerfuffle. Photos of her finger point to DeWanna Bonner later went viral on social media.
"It's even more ludicrous that you do have (Sophie) Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn't play in women's sports — we want to protect women and girls — and the backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing fingers across the country is astonishing," Leavitt said. "They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which is again an 80-20 issue. It's common sense. It's rooted in basic biological fact that men should not be competing against women on playing fields across the country."
In the wide-ranging profile by ESPN, they addressed the connotation of "MAGA Barbie" that some have dubbed Cunningham, a white woman from Columbia, Missouri. One she believes is projected onto her because of her appearance and where she is from.
The question Thursday that prompted Leavitt's response: "(Sophie) Cunningham in the WNBA has been attacked as a MAGA Barbie for saying it's common sense for men to not be in women's sports locker rooms. Is the president following this story and has he reached out to her?"
And while some think Cunningham could become vice president of the United States one day, heightened by author Chuck Klosterman's statement on a podcast with The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Cunningham believes her political beliefs are misunderstood.
"I'm very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides," she told ESPN. "And that's all I've ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume."
Furthermore, when asked Wednesday how she'd advocate for young girls, she said: “I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs, I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those and be true to who I am. I think people are going to take it how they want to take it, but I’ve never really even said anything about that. When it comes just to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that. I think that’s why you have Title IX, that’s why you have some of the greats in women’s sports.”
The opinion of limiting transgender girls’ and women’s participation in women’s sports has largely been a view of the Republican party. Multiple states controlled by Republican governments, including Indiana, have banned transgender women from participating in girls' and women’s sports.
The United States Supreme Court, in which the majority of justices hold Republican beliefs, ruled on June 30 that states are allowed to ban transgender women in sports.
Transgender girls’ participation in sports has become a hot-button issue in recent years, with many states and high school athletic associations moving to ban their participation — despite the low number of transgender girls trying to participate in the first place.
WISH-TV reported in February 2025 that just one transgender girl had asked to play on a girls high school sports team in Indiana. She later withdrew her application to play. The Indiana High School Athletic Association's former policy stated that transgender girls could participate for a high school team that matched their gender identity if they could prove, through documentation of hormone suppression and testimony of family and friends, that they had been living as their identified gender for more than a year.
Now, the IHSAA 2025-26 bylaws state that participants are “limited to students whose birth gender matches the gender of the single gender sport.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker told the Senate Judiciary Committee in December 2024 that out of 510,000 athletes, he is aware of fewer than 10 transgender women competing in the collegiate system, according to The Hill. The only out transgender woman that has prevailed in an NCAA Division I championship is Lia Thomas, who won the 500-yard freestyle in March 2022 after taking hormone replacement therapy since 2019.
The NCAA changed its policy on transgender athlete participation in February 2025, and it now “limits competition in women's sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only.”
Cunningham added that her views on transgender girls in sports has nothing to do with her overall position on the transgender community in the U.S.
“I’m there to love, but I’m also there to love biological women, and I think there are rights that need to be protected,” Cunningham said. “Like I said, I’m going to stand true to that. I’m never going to falter in my beliefs in that. But I have never once said I hated the trans community. Like I said, I think there’s space for everyone.”
Title IX, which was passed in 1972, prohibited discrimination based on sex in all federally funded, public educational programs. It mainly affected public universities across the country, mandating equal scholarships, athletic opportunities and funding for men’s and women’s programs (for example, if the men’s basketball team took a charter flight to away games, the program was also required to charter the women’s basketball team to its away games). Women’s sports advocates across the country credit Title IX as saving women’s sports.
The Supreme Court ruling determined that states banning transgender girls’ participation in sports did not violate Title IX.
“If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, then you wouldn’t hear about any type of women in sport,” Cunningham said. “I think in the future, it’s just really important to protect.”
Get IndyStar's Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Sophie Cunningham receives support from White House on issue Donald Trump 'feels strongly about'
Continue reading...
