Former NCAA swimmer and current transphobic conservative darling Riley Gaines was criticized for a desperate attempt to discredit Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after he condemned President Donald Trump's genocidal threat to kill the "whole civilization" of Iran.
Trump has insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.
Before the ceasefire was announced, his full threat, published on Truth Social, amplified fears about him having access to the nuclear codes:
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?"
"We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"
You can see his post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Walz gave the following succinct response to this genocidal threat:
"The President has lost his mind."
You can see his post below.
Gaines thought she had the perfect "gotcha!" when she responded with:
"If the man who required tampons in 4th grade boy's bathrooms thinks you've lost your mind, it's a pretty good sign you're completely sane."
You can see her post below.
Conservatives have dubbed Walz "Tampon Tim" following his approval of a 2023 bill that requires schools to provide free menstrual products in all public school bathrooms.
The Minnesota law, which took effect on January 1, 2024, mandates that menstrual products—including pads, tampons, and other items—“must be available to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.”
Minnesota State Representative Sandra Feist, a Democrat and the chief author of HF 2497, the bill mandating schools provide free menstrual products in all public school bathrooms, told the New York Times that it was important to make menstrual products available to transgender students so they wouldn't have to ask for them.
It figures we'd hear this sort of complaint from Gaines, who has consistently opposed the rights of trans athletes, particularly since her fifth-place tie with trans University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas in the women's 200m freestyle final at the National Collegiate Athletics Association championships.
Gaines has argued that sharing fifth place with a trans woman amounts to being deprived of a rightful victory—and it's downright weird to see her bring her transphobic crusade to the forefront at a moment when world leaders are genuinely alarmed about the possibility of a nuclear clash between major powers.
She was swiftly called out.
In the social media race, Gaines happens to finish dead last.
@JamesTate121/X
