Conservative activist Riley Gaines is drawing renewed attention—and skepticism—after claiming that death threats tied to her activism forced her to wrap her newborn daughter in a bulletproof blanket.

Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who has built a national profile opposing the inclusion of transgender women in female sports, made the claim during an appearance on Outnumbered this week. The 25-year-old, now a fixture of the MAGA movement and a regular presence at Trump rallies, said the backlash against her views has escalated to the point where she fears for her child’s safety.

“She was there with me on the Supreme Court steps,” Gaines said, referring to her three-month-old daughter, Margot, whom she brought with her to hear arguments in a case that could bar transgender women from competing in female sports. “You have to consider the fact that you have a 3-month-old baby that you have to wrap in a bulletproof blanket because of the threats that were present there yesterday.”

Gaines did not provide evidence of specific threats or identify their source, but she blamed activists who oppose restrictions on trans athletes and accused Democrats of deliberately targeting her family through their policies.

“All these Democrats and their insane policies and the things they support — I think 130 Democrats signed a brief supporting the boys in the case,” Gaines said, using language that misgenders transgender athletes. “They think they are giving the middle finger to President Trump. That’s not who they are giving the middle finger to. They are giving the middle finger to my little baby girl.”

Gaines’ rhetoric mirrors a pattern that has followed her rise to prominence. Since becoming a conservative cause célèbre after tying for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in 2022, Gaines has leaned heavily into culture-war framing, portraying herself as a victim of both political elites and activist mobs.

Her social media presence has repeatedly sparked public feuds. Last October, she clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after accusing her, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and then–New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of “destroying the country from within.”

Ocasio-Cortez fired back with a blunt jab at Gaines’ athletic record: “Maybe if you channeled all this anger into swimming faster you wouldn’t have come in fifth.”

Gaines has also tangled with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who condemned her after Gaines mocked a high school softball team with a transgender pitcher. “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race,” Biles wrote.

Now, with the Supreme Court once again weighing the future of transgender participation in sports, Gaines has pushed her narrative further—casting herself not just as a silenced athlete, but as a mother under siege.

Critics say the claims are part of a familiar escalation tactic, using fear and personal drama to fuel outrage and attention. Supporters, meanwhile, have amplified her comments as proof that the culture war has turned dangerous.

As with much of Gaines’ activism, the allegation has landed squarely where it was likely intended: dominating the conversation, inflaming tensions, and keeping her at the center of a national fight that shows no signs of cooling down.