Caitlyn Jenner Appeals to Trump, Saying She Cannot Travel After Passport Gender Changed to 'Male'

Caitlyn Jenner says she cannot travel abroad after her passport was reissued with a male gender marker, a problem she has taken directly to President Donald Trump. The appeal lays bare a personal clash between her political loyalties and the policies now shaping transgender lives in the US.

A Passport Dispute Lands At Trump's Door

Speaking on a podcast hosted by Tomi Lahren, Caitlyn Jenner described what she sees as a bureaucratic reversal with real consequences. After renewing her passport, she said it was returned marked 'M' for male, leaving her unsure how to navigate international travel.

'What do I do? I can't travel internationally anymore,' she said, framing the issue as part of a broader tightening around gender markers. Jenner revealed she wrote to Donald Trump following a visit to Mar-a-Lago, asking for direct intervention. She has not yet received a reply and said she has chosen not to call him despite having his personal number.

Jenner has long positioned herself as a Republican voice on transgender issues, publicly backing Trump in both 2016 and 2024. That alignment now collides with a policy environment many trans Americans say is becoming increasingly restrictive.

A Loyal Ally Confronts Policy Reality

Jenner did not retreat from her support for Trump during the interview. She spoke warmly of her relationship with him and Melania Trump, emphasising past personal contact. Yet her account carried a note of unease.

'Now we're going too far to the right, you know, with gender markers,' she said, suggesting a line has been crossed. It is a rare moment of public friction between Jenner and a political movement she has consistently defended.

What makes this moment difficult to ignore is the contradiction it exposes. Jenner has often criticised progressive approaches to gender policy, particularly in sport, while arguing for limits on participation by transgender athletes. Now she finds herself challenging a different flank, objecting to administrative decisions that affect her own legal identity.

She also raised concerns about bathroom restrictions, describing them as unsafe. 'I have so many of my friends are just, you know, just gorgeous women,' she said. 'Trying to force these people into the men's room. And it's just not right. And it's not safe.' The language is personal, almost protective, and it cuts against the harder edge of some conservative messaging.

'I Don't Think I Helped It At All'

Jenner acknowledged that her high-profile transition in 2015 may not have had the positive impact she once hoped for.

'Unfortunately, I don't think I helped it at all,' she said, adding that while she intended to bring visibility to a marginalised group, the issue was later shaped by political forces she disagrees with. 'The left kind of took my issue.'

In the US, millions of transgender people are currently affected by a wave of legislation targeting healthcare, education and public life. The policy environment has shifted rapidly, with hundreds of measures introduced at state and federal level.

In March, a visit to the 'wrong' toilet could soon carry the risk of a prison sentence in Idaho. That is not exaggeration but the plain reading of House Bill 752, now edging through the state legislature, one that places transgender people at the centre of a legal storm few can ignore.

A first offence could bring up to a year in jail. A second offence escalates sharply, carrying a potential sentence of up to five years in prison. If passed, the proposal would make it a criminal offence for transgender individuals to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity, even inside privately owned businesses.

Meanwhile, a controversial new Kansas law that retroactively invalidates state-issued identification for transgender residents remains in effect following a ruling by a Douglas County District Court judge on 10 March 2026. The legislation, passed by the Republican-led legislature over Governor Laura Kelly's veto, requires driver's licenses and birth certificates to reflect a person's sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity.

The Trump administration also filed a lawsuit against Minnesota and the Minnesota State High School League, following through on repeated warnings that it would act against states allowing transgender girls to compete in girls' sports. The case filed relies heavily on Title IX, the longstanding federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programmes that receive public funding.

The Justice Department reported that Minnesota's policies 'ignore biological reality and, in doing so, disadvantage girls in competitive sport.' Attorney General Pamela Bondi put it in similarly stark terms, saying the administration 'does not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality and unfairly undermine girls on the playing field.'

Personal Turbulence Beyond Politics

The interview occurred against a personal strain where Jenner's former manager, Sophia Hutchins, died in July 2025 in an ATV crash near Jenner's home. Reports have since indicated that Jenner is seeking at least $450,000 from Hutchins' estate, citing unpaid expenses and personal spending.