President Donald Trump took aim at Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills on Friday, publicly challenging her over her refusal to comply with a federal order prohibiting biological males from competing in women’s sports. During a White House meeting with governors, Trump directly confronted Mills about her opposition to his executive order, making it clear that noncompliance would result in consequences—specifically, the loss of federal funding.
“The NCAA has complied immediately, by the way. That’s good,” Trump said during the exchange, before singling out Mills. “Is Maine here? The governor of Maine? Are you not going to comply with it?” he asked. Mills, a Democrat who has been vocal in her support of allowing biological males to compete against women, refused to back down. “I’ll comply with state and federal laws,” Mills said.
Trump didn’t miss a beat, however. “Well, we are the federal law,” he reminded her. “You better do it,” Trump warned. “You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports.”
Trump then made it crystal clear that he’s prepared for any legal challenges from the Maine governor. “So you better comply because otherwise, you’re not getting any federal funding,” he said. “We’ll see you in court!” Mills responded. The president added, “I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
?WOW!
Trump confronts Maine governor to her face over her defiance of his executive order barring biological males from girls’ sports.
“You better comply because you’re not getting any federal funding if you don’t.” pic.twitter.com/FePjKzJ6Fm
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) February 21, 2025
In February, President Trump signed an executive order barring transgender women and girls from participating in female sports, aligning with his administration’s policy that defines gender strictly based on biological sex at birth. The order was expected to have major implications for federally funded institutions and athletic programs, potentially conditioning federal funding on adherence to a sex-based definition of sports participation.
Following Trump’s executive order, the NCAA announced a policy change, prohibiting transgender athletes born male from competing in women’s sports. This decision aligned with the administration’s directive to enforce sex-based distinctions in athletics, aiming to establish a uniform standard across all states.
The policy took effect immediately and applied across all NCAA divisions. The executive order also directed federal agencies and state attorneys general to enforce the prohibition, with potential consequences for educational institutions that fail to comply, including the loss of federal funding.