President Donald Trump has sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills in recent weeks over the topic of a new federal rule banning biological males who identify as transgender to compete in athletic programs sanctioned for female athletes.
TRUMP
Is The Governor of Maine here.
Yes I'm here "
TRUMP are you going to comply "
TRUMP WE ARE THE FEDERAL LAW. You better comply. pic.twitter.com/VO0euSu2qq— 🔨Robert The Builder 🇺🇸 (@NobodymrRobert) February 21, 2025
For his part, Trump recently made good on his threat to cut funding to the state over Mills’ refusal to comply.
As Breitbart reported, the recently announced move targets the University of Maine System:
A UMS spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the funding will be paused.
“An email forwarded to the University of Maine that appears to have originated from the USDA’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer directs the department’s ‘awarding agencies and staff offices to temporarily no longer issue any payments or authorize any other releases of funding to Columbia University or the University of Maine System,’” the spokesperson said.
“The message goes on to state, ‘This pause is temporary in nature while USDA evaluates if it should take any follow-on actions related to prospective Title VI or Title IX violations. Please take any necessary actions to effectuate this direction from leadership. This pause will remain in effect until further notice.’”
The UMS spokesperson told the USDA that the schools were “in compliance with relevant state and federal laws and that UMS universities are members of the NCAA.”
The USDA awarded as much as $29.78 million to UMS in 2024.
News of the update soon spread across social media, with many users celebrating Trump’s decision:
Polling continues to show that the American people are overwhelmingly on Trump’s side of this ongoing public debate.
As the New York Post reported in January, one survey found that even two-thirds of Democrats believe males should be excluded from female sports:
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports.
ADVERTISEMENT“Thinking about transgender female athletes — meaning athletes who were male at birth but who currently identify as female — do you think they should or should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports?” the survey asked.
Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Here’s a full clip of last month’s tense exchange between Trump and Mills:
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