President Donald Trump met with the National Governors Association at the White House on Friday, where he had a terse confrontation with Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills over his efforts to bar transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
Earlier this month, the Maine Principals Association (MPA) said it would allow transgender female athletes to continue competing in school athletic leagues despite Trump’s executive order banning “male competitive participation in women’s sports.”
MPA Director Mike Burnham said the directive “and our Maine state Human Rights Act are in conflict, and the Maine Principals Association will continue to follow state law as it pertains to gender identity.”
Trump confronted Governor Mills over the state’s decision on Friday, calling her out during his remarks.
“Are you not going to comply [with the order]?” Trump asked. Mills responded that she and her state would “comply with state and federal law.”
“Well, I am — we are the federal law,” Trump retorted, threatening Mills with the revocation of federal funding if she didn’t fall in line.
“See you in court,” Mills deadpanned.
“Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that, that should be an easy one,” the president continued. “Enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
Trump made the exclusion of trangender people from not only sports, but society at large, a central pillar of his 2024 campaign. Since assuming office, he has signed a series of executive orders targeting trans Americans including directives ordering federal agencies to only recognize male and female genders, attempting to bar trans service members from the military, and restricting access to gender affirming care for young Americans. The president has repeatedly threatened to withhold aid from states who refuse to comply with his demands, a threat he’s also leveled against states ravaged by natural disasters.
Multiple legal challenges have been filed against Trump’s efforts to target trans Americans. Earlier this month, a judge implemented a temporary restraining order against the administration’s efforts to shut down gender affirming care for individuals under the age of 19.
The White House’s rapid response X account mocked Mills on social media after her testy exchange with Trump on Friday, posting a photo of her pursing her lips over a clip of the exchange.
Mills’ office later released a statement responding to the president’s threats to withhold federal funding for the state. “If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides,” she wrote. “The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.”
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