Washington DC [US], February 22 (ANI): US President Donald Trump and Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills engaged in a heated exchange over transgender women in sports during a meeting at the White House, as reported by FOX News.

Trump warned her that she would lose federal funding if she didn't comply with his executive order, to which Mills said, 'We will see you in court.'

Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine during a tense confrontation with Governor 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. 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,' FOX News reported.

Mills said, 'We'll see you in court.'

'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 said.

Meanwhile, the White House also posted about the clash between Trump and Mills.

Sharing a video on X, the White House wrote, 'President Trump wrecks Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills For Defying Executive Order.'

Quoting President Trump, it said, '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.'

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1893052152341274641

On Friday, Mills issued a statement in response to Trump's threat to withhold federal funding from the state and emphasised that Maine would not be intimidated by the President's actions and vowed to take legal measures if necessary to restore the funding and protect educational opportunities for students.

'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,' Mills said in a statement.

On February 5, Trump issued an executive order to prevent transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports unless they were assigned female at birth, The New York Times reported.

He had also vowed to withhold federal funding from high schools and colleges that fail to comply with the directive.

'From now on, women's sports will be only for women,' Trump said in his address from the White House East Room. 'The war on women's sports is over.'

The White House in an executive order titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' stated that in recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women's sports.

It further said that 'ignoring fundamental biological truths' between the two sexes deprives women and girls of 'meaningful access to educational facilities.'

'This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports. Moreover, under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports. As some Federal courts have recognised, ignoring fundamental biological truths between the two sexes deprives women and girls of meaningful access to educational facilities,' the statement read.

It added, 'Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programmes that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women's sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.' (ANI)