Riley Gaines reacts as Donald Trump threatens Maines to cut funding over allowing transgender athletes in female sports

Riley Gaines recently reacted to US President Donald Trump threatening to cut federal funding for Maine over its policy to allow transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. Gaines took to social media to voice her opinion supporting Trump's move.

The debate in Maine gained attention after a Republican state lawmaker posted a photo of a transgender female high school athlete who had previously competed as a boy. Recently, Trump's administration ordered states to follow its policies by using federal money as leverage. Following Trump's order, the Education Department warned states they would lose federal education funding if they failed to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within 14 days.

Reflecting on Trump's move on the Maine incident, an X user shared a video of President Donald Trump speaking on the Maine issue. It was accompanied by a caption that read:

"Looks like Maine is about to find out."

Reacting to Donald Trump's order, Riley Gaines reshared the video on her X handle with a caption:

"Maine would rather lose federal funding than enforce women's sports are only for women. Let that really sink in."

Gaines competed in the NCAA Women's Swimming Championship in March 2022, where she tied for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle alongside transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. However, only Thomas was given the trophy at the event and Gaines was told she would receive her trophy later. The decision drew criticism and played a role in Gaines becoming a vocal advocate for fairness in women's sports.

Riley Gaines opposes NCAA Policy for lack of clarity and accountability

Riley Gaines at SiriusXM - May 20, 2024 - Source: Getty

Riley Gaines recently criticized the NCAA's new policy on transgender athletes, calling it unclear and lacking accountability. She argued that the policy does not properly define key terms like 'sex', 'male', and 'female', but instead focuses on gender identity.

According to the 24-year-old, this creates loopholes, allowing schools and states to interpret the rules differently. The former NCAA swimmer warned that without clear definitions, unelected officials could change the meaning of these terms, leading to policies that do not truly protect women's sports.

Reflecting on the issue, Gaines said (via foxnews.com):

"The policy simply is not clear. Again, it removes accountability from the NCAA"

Riley Gaines also pointed out that the NCAA shifted responsibility away from itself. Instead of taking a firm stance, the policy placed the burden on individual schools and states to enforce the rules.