Riley Gaines sends warning to Democrats, NCAA amid battle over trans athletes

Former NCAA swimmer and OutKick host Riley Gaines delivered a message Wednesday to states defying President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep transgender athletes out of women’s and girls sports. 

Gaines appeared on Fox News’ “The Story With Martha McCallum” to praise U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for urging states who have not complied with the order by threatening to withhold federal funding. 

“The Constitution is very clear that federal laws, such as Title IX, takes precedence over state laws,” Gaines said. “Even with President Trump back in the White House, the war on woke has not been won yet.”

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Bondi’s warning came on Tuesday, when she warned California, Maine and Minnesota, who have openly defied Trump’s order, that they will lose federal funding if they continue allowing trans athletes in girls sports. 

Maine has become a battleground on the issue after a war of words between Gov. Janet Mills and Trump over the issue. Additionally, a Republican Maine state legislator, Rep. Laurel Libby, was censured Tuesday for bringing attention to the state with a social media post calling out a transgender high school athlete who took first place in a girls pole vault competition.

MAINE LEGISLATURE CENSURES REP. LAUREL LIBBY FOR POINTING OUT TRANS ATHLETE WHO WON GIRLS’ COMPETITION

Gaines praised Libby and defended the lawmaker, while condemning Mills Wednesday. 

“[Mills] would rather lose over $5 billion in federal funds to send a message that boys deserve to and are entitled to trample on girls in the process,” Gaines said. “I commend and am so proud and so grateful for Rep. Libby. And just looking at this, watching a female representative lose her ability to vote and to speak on the House floor for defending girls and women. 

“No, this didn’t happen in Afghanistan. This happened in America.” 

In addition to Democrats in states like Maine and California, the NCAA has been criticized for its recent revision to its gender eligibility policy to comply with Trump’s order. Many critics, including Gaines, have pointed out that the NCAA’s new policy does not account for amended birth certificates, noting 44 states in the U.S. allow genders to be changed on birth certificates. 

The apparel brand XX-XY Athletics, whom Gaines is a brand ambassador for, put out a video advertisement Wednesday that featured multiple college women’s athletes speaking out against the NCAA for its policy, insisting it didn’t go far enough. 

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“We partnered with XX-XY Athletics to release this ad directly to message (NCAA President) Charlie Baker, directly to the NCAA,” Gaines said. “They released a policy following President Trump’s executive order claiming to fall in line, but the NCAA policy is in direct conflict to Trump’s beautifully and thoroughly written executive order.” 

Gaines will be traveling to Minnesota next week to advocate for a state bill to ban transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports there. 

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