White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Daily Wire in the briefing room on Wednesday that President Trump will not back down from enforcing his executive orders on girls’ sports.
Trump banned federal funding for schools that promote gender ideology and allow trans-identifying males to play on girls’ sports teams, but Maine — along with several school districts in other states — appear to be defying the orders.
“We know that the governor of Maine has really pushed back against the president’ executive orders saying that boys should not be in girls’ sports,” The Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan said to the press secretary from the White House’s special “new media” seat at the front of the White House briefing room.
“I spoke with a lawmaker from Maine this morning who told me she’d been censured by state lawmakers for calling a man a man and speaking up on this. What is the next move for the White House in this battle to protect the integrity of women’s sports?” Olohan asked.
🚨 @realDailyWire’s @MaryMargOlohan just asked @PressSec about @GovJanetMills continued defiance of President Trump’s EO, designed to keep biological males out of girls’ sports.
The White House’s response? Bring it on, President Trump will fight for the rights of our girls. pic.twitter.com/kUhLMIjAOY
— Rep. Laurel Libby (@laurel_libby) March 5, 2025
Stunning moment Trump goes back and forth with Maine governor on women’s sports
TRUMP: “You better do it because you’re not gonna get any federal funding … your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports.”pic.twitter.com/UrqDl65nLx
— Mairead Elordi (@JohnsonHildy) February 21, 2025
“Well, the Department of Education has sued the state of Maine as you know. There’s ongoing litigation,” Leavitt responded.
“The president has made a commitment to ensure that states are being held accountable if they continue to allow men in women’s sports, which he believes is an egregious violation of taxpayer dollars, and so that fight continues, and the president won’t back down. Again, this is a common sense policy. Eighty percent of the American people, including more than 60% of Democrats, do not want men in women’s sports so the president will stand by this commitment,” Leavitt said.
Last month, Democrat lawmakers in Maine censured Republican state Representative Laurel Libby for a Facebook post that drew attention to a trans-identifying boy who took first place in women’s pole vaulting and helped his school clinch Maine’s Class B state championship by one point.
Also in February, Maine Governor Janet Mills got into a testy exchange with Trump in person when the president hosted governors at the White House.
“You better do it because you’re not gonna get any federal funding at all if you don’t,” Trump told Mills, referring to his executive order on women’s sports.
“Your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports,” Trump told her.
“See you in court,” Mills responded.
Afterwards, the Department of Education announced a new investigation into the Maine Department of Education over trans-identifying male athletes in women’s sports.
