Simone Biles and the tense exchange with a Donald Trump-supporting swimmer that stirred the debate over transgender athletes: "You're a bitter loser."

Simone Biles reached the Olympus of sport after a difficult childhood, marked by her mother's addiction and while she internally struggled with the trauma of being one of the more than 100 women sexually abused by Larry Nassar , the former doctor of the US gymnastics team. She was encouraged to talk about her mental health problems, a taboo subject in high performance for many years, which caused her to hit rock bottom and withdraw from several finals at the Tokyo Olympic Games . And after giving herself time to heal, she returned with everything in Paris 2024 and once again enjoyed and shined. With that story of overcoming, resilience, and courage, she was the "darling" of the entire United States. Until she jumped headfirst into the discussion about the inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports and became a polarizing figure in her country and the target of criticism from many of her compatriots, especially from conservative sectors.

The seven-time Olympic gold medalist and 23-time world champion had a tense exchange on social media with swimmer Riley Gaines , a staunch defender of the rights of female athletes, that went viral and divided the waters in American society.

Gaines—who stood alongside Donald Trump in February when the US president announced he had signed an order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports—took a swipe at a Minnesota girls high school softball team that won a state championship with a transgender player on its roster. "Comments are off. It's to be expected when your star player is a guy," the swimmer, who excelled in college, wrote.

Biles—who had so far remained on the sidelines of the political fray between Republicans and Democrats, although she had implicitly endorsed Kamala Harris in the last presidential election—exploded.

"You're sick, this whole campaign because you lost a race. Just a bitter loser. You should support the trans community and maybe find a way to make sports inclusive or create a new space where trans people feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category in all sports. But instead... they get bullied. One thing's for sure: no one in sports is safe with you around!" the greatest gymnast of all time wrote on Twitter .

bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male @Riley_Gaines_

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025

And he added: "Riley Gaines, intimidate someone your own size, which ironically would be a man."

Biles' first post alluded to the meet that launched Gaines' activism career. While representing the University of Kentucky , the swimmer competed in the 2022 Ivy League Championships finals against Lia Thomas , who beat her in the 200-yard freestyle and then became the first transgender swimmer to win an NCAA title in the 500-yard dash, amid protests and complaints from athletes and parents. Gaines retired from the sport after that meet, during which she also denounced having to share a locker room with Thomas, who was born male and began the process of transitioning while already in college. And since then, she has focused on advocating for women's sports.

The swimmer's response was quick to arrive: "This is very disappointing. My opinion is the least controversial in the world. Simone Biles praising men at the expense of the dreams of girls and young women? I didn't have that on my bingo card. Maybe I could compete on pommel horse in 2028."

Biles's second tweet was an unfortunate direct attack on Gaines's physique and sparked a campaign of hate and criticism against her. What followed was a relentless barrage of comments on social media and in American media outlets with very opposing views.

Conservatives, Trump supporters, and those who share Gaines's belief that it is unfair for trans women to compete in women's sports called Biles a hypocrite.

On the one hand, they recalled that the gymnast said a few years ago that she used to hide her muscular arms because she suffered from negative criticism about her appearance and that she even led campaigns to raise awareness about the positive image of different body types for girls and women. And they accused her of doing the same thing to her that she accused the swimmer of with a "disgusting" comment.

On the other hand, they recalled a tweet from Biles in 2017, in which she had shared a video attempting a floor exercise common to male gymnasts, with the phrase: "It's a good thing men don't compete against women or they would have taken all the gold medals."

Fox News claimed that Simone's "furious and hypocritical attacks" shocked even her fans. It said the gymnast will have a hard time recovering from the controversy and becoming "America's sweetheart" again.

Across the street, USA Today columnist Nancy Armour said, "Biles showed her greatness once again by standing up for the transgender community" and called on Gaines to break out of her "right-wing bubble."

Beyond the criticism from conservatives (predictable given Biles' stance), the many messages from people who expressed disappointment with the gymnast's personal attack on Gaines were surprising.

Comments like "I can't believe you said that. Truly disappointing" ; "You've lost the respect of so many of us who admired you" ; "This is disgusting. I'm disappointed in you"; and "I was a huge fan, but unfortunately not anymore" multiplied beneath Biles's post.

There were, of course, those who supported the multiple Olympic and world medalist. But they were a minority.

Biles remained silent for four days and eventually apologized for the personal attack on Gaines and clarified some of her comments.

I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me…

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 10, 2025

"I have always believed that competitive equality and inclusion are essential in sport. The current system does not adequately balance these important principles, often leading to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help that I personally attacked Riley, for which I apologize," Simone said.

"These are delicate and complicated issues for which I don't really have answers or solutions, but I believe it all starts with empathy and respect. I wasn't advocating for policies that compromise fairness and justice in women's sport. My objection is to children being subjected to public scrutiny in a personal and damaging way. Athletes—especially children—should never be the focus of criticism for a flawed system over which they have no control," she continued.

And he concluded: "I believe sports organizations have a responsibility to develop regulations that support inclusion while maintaining fair competition. We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful."

"I accept Simone's apology for the personal attacks, including those about my body. I know she knows how that feels. She remains the greatest female gymnast of all time," Gaines said.

I accept Simone's apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She's still the greatest female gymnast of all time.

A couple of things. Sports ARE inclusive by nature. Anyone can and everyone SHOULD play… https://t.co/V8YbMvs3xf

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 10, 2025

"A couple of things. Sport is inclusive by nature. Competition, on the other hand, is exclusive by definition. So the idea of ​​'competitive equality' is meaningless. Secondly, you can't have empathy and compassion for girls if you ignore when young men are harming or abusing them. I'm not ashamed to be a voice for the voiceless," she continued.

"Finally, I agree with you ( Simone ) that the blame lies with the legislators and officials at the top. That's precisely why I'm suing the NCAA and supporting candidates who swear to stand with women. That's why I joined Trump in signing his Executive Order. I didn't see you there or championing this effort with your platform. I welcome you to the fight to support fair sports and a future for female athletes. Girls deserve the same opportunity to achieve that you had," she concluded.

The clash between the two athletes ended there. At least on the record, for now. But public opinion continues to speak about the issue. And the image of Simone Biles, who for many years was a respected and admired athlete in her country, seems to have suffered significant damage, which will not be easy to repair.