women’s boxer Imane Khelif is oddly mentioned in one of Donald Trump’s final campaign videos ahead of the presidential election.
Trump’s attempt to regain office is set to wrap up this week after a lengthy and contentious election battle with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
In a last-minute appeal to the American public just days before voting closes, the former president has released a closing ad that targets the current administration.
Notably, Khelif, who sparked intense debate during this summer’s Olympic Games, is included in this critique of Joe Biden and Harris.
The Algerian boxer controversially clinched gold in the women’s welterweight category, despite concerns regarding her gender, after being disqualified from last year’s World Championship for allegedly not meeting gender eligibility tests.
In a video that claims “everything we cared about fell apart” under the Biden-Harris administration, the Trump campaign features footage of Khelif’s hand being raised at the Olympics while citing various examples.
The narrator states: “Men can beat up women and win medals.” Trump has previously criticized Khelif amid the controversy surrounding her participation in women’s boxing at the Olympics.
During a recent appearance on The Undertaker’s ‘Six Feet Under’ podcast, Trump repeatedly referred to Khelif as a “man” after the WWE legend emphasized that “protecting” women’s sports from transgender athletes was a significant priority for him in the upcoming election.
The Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Calaway, brought his daughter onto the podcast to highlight how young women are impacted by this contentious issue.
“I think it’s very demeaning to women,” Trump remarked, pointing to Calaway’s daughter. “She wants to play sports and she wants to play against women. You don’t necessarily want to play against men. It’s okay, but you don’t want to do it.”
“Did you see that boxing match at the Olympics? Did you see that beautiful Italian girl [against Khelif]? She’s supposed to be a good boxer. She took just a left jab. The guy goes boom. Like a defensive punch.”
Khelif’s success in Paris ignited fierce controversy and backlash both during and after the Olympic Games, despite her being born female, with her father even providing her birth certificate as proof of her gender.
In September, the Olympic champion took an emotional jab at American billionaire Elon Musk, a staunch Trump supporter, for leading a “cruel campaign” against her during the Games.
The X tycoon, who, along with Trump, has been named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed by Khelif, quoted a post on his own platform that called for men to be thrown out of women’s sports in light of her round of 16 victory over Italy’s Angela Carini, the opponent to which Trump was referring during the podcast.
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