CNN —Years before he said he was running for president to “defeat the cult of gender ideology,” Donald Trump welcomed and praised the inclusion of transgender women in the Miss Universe pageant. He then later effusively praised the winner of the Miss USA pageant, Olivia Culpo, for saying that transgender women should be allowed to compete. Transgender contestant Jenna Talackova takes part in Miss Universe Canada competition in Toronto, May 19, 2012. Mark Blinch/ReutersTrump, then the owner of the Miss Universe pageant, would go on to cite the possible participation of transgender women in Olympic sports to justify his decision to end a ban on transgender pageant participants. “And you have the Miss Canada, which is essentially the Miss Universe.

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Persons: ” Donald Trump, Jenna Talackova, effusively, Olivia Culpo, Mark Blinch, Reuters Trump, Trump, ”, he’d, That’s, Culpo, “, ” Culpo, Trump . Donald Trump, David Becker, –, ” Trump, Talackova, Gloria Allred, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Laura Ingraham, Carrie Prejean, Shanna Moakler, Donald Trump, Lucas Jackson Organizations: CNN, Miss Universe, Trump, Miss USA, Miss Universe Canada, Reuters, Republican, White, Trump ., Miss, Hollywood, Getty, Fox, Friends, Trump Organization, Olympics, Fox News, Miss California USA, Miss Universe Organization, GLAAD, Mr Locations: Canadian, Toronto, Las Vegas , Nevada, Canada, Miss Canada, United States, New York