Meghan McCain sparred with TV host Andy Cohen on Tuesday over trans-identifying men playing in women’s sports.
It all started on X when the former co-host of “The View” shared the news that 19-year-old female volleyball player Payton McNabb, who sustained a traumatic brain injury after a transgender-identifying male spiked a volleyball into her head, was invited to be a special guest of President Donald Trump’s at his Joint Address to Congress on Tuesday.
“I have had the pleasure of meeting Payton – she is incredibly smart, strong and brave. Both she and her family have been through the unthinkable,” McCain’s post read.
“Democrats defending young women suffering from traumatic brain injuries as a result of trans athletes is why they will continue losing every election,” she added, noting how Democrats in the Senate blocked the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” on Monday.
I have had the pleasure of meeting Payton – she is incredibly smart, strong and brave. Both she and her family have been through the unthinkable.
Democrats defending young women suffering from traumatic brain injuries as a result of trans athletes is why they will continue… https://t.co/YQf6SVtjAW
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 4, 2025
In response, Cohen took to X and wrote, “surprised you’re buying into the vilification of the trans community given the real problems happening in this country, your previous ally-ship of the lgbtq community, and the fact that this non issue affects about four people in this country.”
McCain hit back, writing, “Surprised you’re okay with violence against female athletes. Peyton suffered serious brain damage – just one story. You have my cell, always happy to talk privately or publicly on either of our shows because these conversations are reductive to hash out on social media.”
A short time later, McNabb saw Cohen’s dismissive post about the dangers of trans-identifying men playing in women’s sports and wrote on X, “Andy, calling the protection of women’s sports a ‘non-issue’ that affects ‘four people’ is not just dismissive—it’s factually wrong.”
“Hundreds of female athletes have lost podium spots, scholarships, and opportunities,” she added. “My own injury was life-changing. And even if it were just one girl, that’s one too many. This is about fairness and safety, not ‘vilification.’”
McCain wasn’t the only person who slammed the move by Senate Democrats after a motion to invoke cloture on Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” failed on Monday by a 51-45 vote. A three-fifths majority — or 60 votes — was needed to cap the debate and proceed to a final vote for passage sometime in the future.
Other outspoken advocates for women’s sports, like Megyn Kelly and Riley Gaines, took to social media and said the Democrats should be shamed for failing to protect young girls.
Related: ‘We See You’: New Ad Calls Out NCAA For New Transgender Policy
