Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, told President Donald Trump on Friday that she would see him in court after he criticized her for defying his executive order regarding transgender athletes competing in girls and women’s sports.
Mills was responding to Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding from the Pine Tree State as he addressed a room full of governors at the White House.
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) later said it had opened an investigation into Maine’s DOE over allegations it was continuing “to allow male athletes to compete in girls’ interscholastic athletics and that it has denied female athletes female-only intimate facilities, thereby violating federal antidiscrimination law.”
Why It Matters
The public clash between Mills and the president comes as the Trump administration has made it clear that it wants all state and local leaders to comply with executive orders signed by the president in his first month in office. The administration is already suing Illinois, the city of Chicago, and New York state over sanctuary laws which it sees as defying the president’s wishes and federal law.
What To Know
Trump’s executive order—one of several signed within his first few days back in the Oval Office—sought to ban transgender women from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, with the argument that those athletes were biological men.
The order uses Title IX to back its reasoning—a civil rights law enacted in 1972 to prohibit sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs receiving federal funding.
The dispute was directly linked to a threat on Thursday where the president told Republican governors he could withhold education funding for Maine if it didn’t comply.
What Did Janet Mills Say to Donald Trump?
Trump asked Mills, who previously said Maine would not bar transgender groups from competing in categories matching their gender identity, whether she would comply with the order.
She responded that she was complying with state and federal law. Maine has an anti-discrimination law which prevents organizations enacting a ban like the one Trump ordered.
“We are the federal law,” Trump said. “Well, 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 is somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports.”
Mills simply responded: “See you in court.”
Trump then said: “Good I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.”
Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills and President Donald Trump seen at the White House on February 21. Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills and President Donald Trump seen at the White House on February 21. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Who Is Janet Mills?
Mills has been governor of Maine since 2019 and is serving her second term. She was the first woman in the state elected to the office.
She previously served two terms as the state’s first woman attorney general, from 2009-2011 and then again from 2013-2019.
At the White House on Friday, Trump told Mills he hoped she would enjoy her life after being governor because he did not think she would be reelected. The Democrat cannot seek another term, anyway, as the post is term-limited, and she will leave office in 2026.
How Are Transgender Athletes Impacted by Donald Trump’s Executive Order?
The order allows federal agencies to withhold funding from organizations that do not comply with Title IX as interpreted by the Trump administration, which defines “sex” as the gender assigned at birth.
The inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports has faced increasing criticism from conservative groups who say it creates an unfair competitive advantage and raises safety concerns. The issue became a central talking point in Trump’s presidential campaign last year, despite transgender athletes making up a small minority in college sports.
While the order focuses on prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports, it does not cite transgender men, who would participate in men’s sports and are presumably not affected by the mandate.
Following the order, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) updated its policies to say that only those declared female at birth could participate in women’s sports. It meant transgender people previously allowed to compete as female athletes were now prohibited from doing so.
On Monday, a transgender athlete won a pole-vaulting competition in Maine, sparking controversy, in part because she had competed in the male category two years ago.
What Is the DOE Investigating?
Later Friday, the federal DOE’s Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into Maine’s education department over the alleged breach of Title IX. It is also including Maine School Administrative District #51 in its probe, following Monday’s competition.
In its announcement, the DOE said state law did not override federal law, rendering Maine’s anti-discrimination rules defunct under Trump’s new ban.
A letter was sent to Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin announcing the investigation Friday afternoon.
What People Are Saying
Governor Janet Mills in a statement on Friday: “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. The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.”
Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, in a statement to News Center Maine: “I oppose the President’s attempt to curtail funding for Maine, and will advocate vigorously for our fair share of federal funding for Maine schools. And again, I believe that we must treat transgender people with respect and dignity. But it is important for state officials to remember not only the success that has resulted from Title IX, but the original intent behind that landmark law.”
Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the DOE, in a press release: “Let me be clear: If Maine wants to continue to receive federal funds from the Education Department, it has to follow Title IX. If it wants to forgo federal funds and continue to trample the rights of its young female athletes, that, too, is its choice. OCR will do everything in its power to ensure taxpayers are not funding blatant civil rights violators.”
What Happens Next
The U.S. Department of Education has begun challenging local and state organizations seen to be ignoring Trump’s order, including in California and Minnesota. It was not immediately clear which side would bring a lawsuit over the dispute in Maine.
Update 02/21/25, 6:13 p.m.: This article was updated with new information and further context.
