Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines announced she is endorsing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) over former President Donald Trump for president in 2024.
While speaking on Newsmax's Eric Bolling The Balance, the swimmer turned activist, who competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2022 NCAA swimming championships, credited DeSantis's success in Florida as the reason for her endorsement.
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“His leadership has been crucial in rooting out the radical ideology that's really driving this insanity and really bringing visibility to these cultural issues that affect the breakdown of families, the breakdown of faith, the breakdown of freedoms," Gaines said.
"He's really taken on this political establishment, the woke corporations, the media, and he's won. We know this based off his success in Florida alone," she continued.
When asked how she will respond to criticisms on social media from supporters of Trump, she said she has not "been ready for anything I’ve done this past year" but that she believes she is doing the right thing.
"So, while I might not be entirely ready, I am ready. I have the understanding. I have the unwavering morals to know what I’m doing by endorsing Governor DeSantis is the right thing. It’s the right thing for me, it’s the right thing for women, and it’s the right thing for Americans," Gaines said.
Gaines also announced she would be joining DeSantis at a campaign event in Greenville, South Carolina, on Friday.
DeSantis blasted attacks on Gaines at San Francisco State University earlier this year, calling for students who chased her down to be expelled. The Florida governor also signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in 2021, which outlawed biological men from competing in women's sports in schools.
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Gaines introduced Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas, in August 2022, but she opted not to endorse the former president over the Florida governor.
Trump currently leads the Republican presidential field, with DeSantis in a close second place, according to polling data.