Trump demands 'full throated' apology from Gov. Mills over Maine's transgender athlete policy
Mar. 22—President Donald Trump demanded a "full throated" apology from Gov. Janet Mills on social media Saturday as the White House continues to target Maine for its policy allowing transgender students to compete in women's and girls sports.
"While the State of Maine has apologized for their Governor's strong, but totally incorrect, statement about men playing in women's sports while at the White House House Governor's Conference, we have not heard from the Governor herself, and she is the one that matters in such cases," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday morning.
"Therefore, we need a full throated apology from the Governor herself, and a statement that she will never make such an unlawful challenge to the Federal Government again, before this case can be settled. I'm sure she will be able to do that quite easily. Thank you for your attention to this matter and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! DJT"
Mills' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks Saturday.
It was not immediately clear to whom the president was referring when he said that "the State of Maine has apologized."
Since a heated exchange between Mills and Trump at the meeting of governors last month, Maine has been subject to a slew of federal investigations into its compliance with federal Title IX law.
The U.S. Department of Education informed Maine officials this week that the state is in violation of Title IX for allowing transgender girls to compete in high school athletics. Those findings are the same as those from a separate probe by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services into the Maine Department of Education, the organization that governs Maine high school athletics and a high school where a transgender student-athlete competes.
A third investigation, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture into the University of Maine System's Title IX compliance, was resolved to the Trump administration's satisfaction.
Both the Department of Education and DHHS have proposed corrective action for the Title IX violations, with DHHS saying Monday that the state has 10 days to comply or federal funds will be withheld.
Maine receives more than $280 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education for various programs, including school lunches and special education.
During the governors meeting in February, Trump had told Mills that he would withhold federal funds from Maine if the state did not comply with an executive order banning competition in women's and girls sports to anyone not assigned female at birth. Mills, however, maintained that his order conflicted with the Maine Human Rights Act, a state law, and told the president: "See you in court."
The Trump administration's challenge of Maine's policy hinges on a new interpretation of Title IX that argues that allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports is a form of discrimination because it deprives women and girls of fair athletic opportunities; such an interpretation has yet to be tested in court. The Maine Human Rights Act, on the other hand, is a state law that, in part, recognizes the rights of students to participate in extracurricular activities without discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, among other things.
Mills has stood by Maine's policy since the spat. After the administration announced investigations last month, Mills suggested that the conflict was about more than the rights of transgender student-athletes.
"In America, the President is neither a King nor a dictator, as much as this one tries to act like it — and it is the rule of law that prevents him from being so," Mills said in a written statement.
"I imagine that the outcome of this politically directed investigation is all but predetermined," Mills continued. "My Administration will begin work with the Attorney General to defend the interests of Maine people in the court of law. But do not be misled: this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot."
The Maine Principals' Association, which was named in the notice of violation from DHHS, is already challenging the Trump administration's finding that it is in violation. In a letter Tuesday, an attorney for the association said the organization receives no federal funding of any kind and thus cannot be in violation of Title IX.
In its report, DHHS cited a transgender Greely High School student's win at an indoor track championship, as well as a report of a different transgender student from another school competing in a girls Nordic skiing race.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a separate Title IX investigation against the University of Maine System. After briefly halting millions in federal funding for UMaine programs, the USDA said this week that it was satisfied that the system was in compliance and that its schools would be able to access federal funds going forward. UMaine officials have said that the system was already in compliance and noted that no transgender athletes were competing on any of the system's campuses.
"The University of Maine System has always maintained its compliance with State and Federal laws and with NCAA rules," system Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in a statement this week. "We are relieved to put the Department's Title IX compliance review behind us."
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