Trump has made things VERY clear to state lawmakers.
President Donald Trump has made a bold move to defend fairness and integrity in women’s sports, announcing on Thursday that he will cut off federal funding to Maine if the state continues to defy his executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Speaking at a gathering of Republican governors in Washington, Trump expressed his disbelief that Maine was still allowing biological males to participate in female sports. “I heard men are still playing in Maine,” Trump remarked. “I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money. They’re still pushing for men to compete in women’s sports, and that’s simply unacceptable. We will not fund any state that continues down this path.”
Trump’s executive order, signed on February 5, directs federal agencies to review all grants, programs, and policies to ensure compliance with his administration’s stance on excluding male athletes from women’s sports. The order emphasizes the importance of fairness, safety, dignity, and truth in competitive sports and mandates strict enforcement of Title IX, the federal law designed to protect gender equality in education and athletics.
The order also highlights how some sport governing bodies lack clear policies on transgender athletes, with others allowing biological males to compete in women’s categories if they meet certain hormone level requirements or claim a “sincerely held” gender identity. Trump’s executive order decries these policies as unfair to female athletes, noting that they fail to safeguard women’s safety.
Despite the president’s clear directives, several liberal states, including Maine, California, and Minnesota, have vowed not to comply. In Maine, Mike Burnham, the executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA), stated that the organization would continue to adhere to state law, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Burnham argued that Trump’s executive order conflicted with Maine’s Human Rights Act and vowed to follow state law in determining eligibility for athletes.
However, the U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into states like Minnesota and California for their refusal to comply with the executive order. Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights, made it clear that federal law supersedes state law in these matters, and organizations must ensure female athletes are treated fairly under the law.
Meanwhile, other Republican-led states are taking swift action to protect women’s sports. In Wisconsin, the Interscholastic Athletic Association recently revised its policy to ensure that only athletes designated as females at birth are allowed to compete in girls’ sports, reversing a previous policy that allowed transgender athletes.
President Trump’s firm stance on this issue reflects his commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls in athletics. As more states like Maine push back, the battle over fairness in women’s sports is far from over. But with Trump leading the charge, the movement to protect the integrity of female athletics will continue to gain momentum.
WATCH:
🚨 President Trump announces Maine will not receive federal funding until they comply with the executive order keeping men out of women's sports pic.twitter.com/OZqBHyW1QB
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 21, 2025