Trump says he signed executive order to tighten college-sports rules; cites transfer limit and five-year eligibility cap

President Donald J. Trump said he signed an executive order earlier this month to implement a set of reforms for college athletics, and outlined three specifics in remarks at a White House ceremony honoring collegiate champions. "I signed an executive order to implement a number of key reforms protecting programs like yours," he said, adding that his administration would limit the transfer portal, impose a five‑year eligibility cap and bar men from competing in women’s sports (his words).

Trump described the transfer change as allowing "only one no penalty transfer through the transfer portal," and said the administration is "instituting a 5‑year eligibility cap for college players because students right out of high school should not have to compete against players that are 28 or 29 years old." He framed the measures as responses to recent court decisions that, he said, have created confusion for collegiate programs and scholarships.

The president said White House convenings of sports leaders and commissioners produced recommendations his administration moved to implement. He named several sports figures in his remarks and urged Congress to pass legislation to "clear up the confusion created by the courts" and establish permanent reforms. The transcript of the ceremony does not include further detail on the legal language, regulatory mechanisms, enforcement steps or timelines for the executive order, nor does it record responses from universities, athletic conferences, the NCAA or affected athletes.

Trump also criticized a recent judicial ruling in broad terms, saying a judge "decided who was not a person that knew much about sports" and had left programs "a total and complete mess," remarks that went unchallenged in the event transcript. The White House ceremony focused largely on recognition of teams; the executive action was announced in the president’s remarks rather than accompanied by a signing ceremony onstage in the transcript.

Reporting note: the transcript records the president’s statements about an executive order and policy intentions. The transcript does not provide the executive order text, effective dates, implementing regulations, or institutional responses; those details should be sought from the White House and relevant athletic bodies for verification.