Trump, Maine Gov. Janet Mills clash over executive order compliance
President Donald Trump spars with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over complying with an executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports.
President Donald Trump sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over transgender women in sports, telling her at the White House that she must follow his executive order or "you're not going to get any federal funding," to which she replied, "we’ll see you in court."
The blue state is one of several defying Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. Trump threatened Thursday to cut off federal funding to Maine before clashing with Mills at a bipartisan meeting of governors.
"Are you not going to comply with that?" Trump asked Mills.
"I'm complying with state and federal laws," she responded, before Trump said "Well, we are the federal law" and "you better do it, you better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't.
President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed Friday at the White House over executive order compliance. (Pool via AP/Win McNamee/Getty Images)
"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, so you better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding," Trump continued.
"We'll see you in court," Mills responded.
"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," Trump concluded.
Mills released a statement on Friday, saying that "The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President's threats."
"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 added.
WISCONSIN BANS TRANS ATHLETES FROM GIRLS’ SPORTS, FOLLOWING TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER
President Donald Trump speaks at the Governors Working Session in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Feb. 21. (Pool via AP)
Trump told a gathering of Republican governors in Washington, D.C., on Thursday that "I heard men are still playing in Maine."
"I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying ‘we want men to play in women’s sports' and I cannot believe that they're doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up," he added.
Trump's executive order, which was signed on Feb. 5, instructed all federal agencies to review grants, programs and policies that fail to comply with the administration's efforts to end "male competitive participation in women’s sports… as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth."
The order also instructed strict Title IX enforcement against any educational institutions or athletic associations that do not comply and demands federal assistance be taken away in such cases.
Shortly after the order was signed, multiple states, including Maine, California, Minnesota and others run primarily by Democrats, indicated that they would not comply with Trump.
President Donald Trump arrives at the Governors Working Session in the State Dining Room of the White House on Friday, Feb. 21. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The executive director of the primary governing body for high school sports in the state of Maine said athletic teams will continue to determine eligibility based on a student's stated gender identity, despite the president's executive order seeking to keep "men out of women's sports."
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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