United States President Donald Trump engaged in a heated exchange with Maine Governor Janet Mills on Friday over his recent executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
The confrontation occurred during a televised meeting with the nation’s governors at the White House, where Trump warned of consequences for non-compliance with his order, prompting Mills to respond, “See you in court.”
Trump, who signed the executive order earlier this month, defended the ban as a measure to protect women. “Two weeks ago, I signed an executive order banning men from playing in women’s sports. Many Democrats are fighting me on that, I hope you continue because you’ll never win another race,” he said during the meeting.
Turning to Mills, the Democratic governor of Maine, Trump asked, “Are you not going to comply with it?” Mills responded firmly, “I’m complying with state and federal laws.”
Trump retorted, “Well, we are the federal law… You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.” Mills shot back, “See you in court,” to which Trump replied, “Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
The executive order allows federal agencies to withhold funding from schools that permit transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams.
However, Maine officials have stated they will continue to allow transgender students to choose which teams they play on, citing the Maine Human Rights Act. According to the Portland Press Herald, Mills and the state’s attorney general have vowed to challenge any attempt to deny federal funds to Maine.
Later on Friday, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into Maine’s education department for alleged violations of Title IX, the federal law prohibiting gender-based discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funding.
A statement from the department cited allegations that Maine “continues to allow male athletes to compete in girls’ interscholastic athletics and that it has denied female athletes female-only intimate facilities, thereby violating federal antidiscrimination law.”
The acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Craig Trainor, emphasized that Maine must comply with Title IX to continue receiving federal funds. “If it wants to forgo federal funds and continue to trample the rights of its young female athletes, that, too, is its choice,” he said in the statement.
Governor Mills condemned the investigation as a “politically directed move” aimed at stripping funding “paid for by Maine taxpayers.” She added, “This is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation.”
The clash highlights the broader cultural and political divide over LGBTQ rights in the United States, particularly regarding transgender youth and sports. Republicans, including Trump, have made the issue a focal point ahead of the 2024 elections, framing it as part of a wider culture war.
Since returning to power, Trump has intensified his rhetoric against transgender rights, targeting gender-affirming care for minors and vowing to pressure the International Olympic Committee to change its rules on transgender athletes before the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
