Trump signs executive order that will ban transgender athletes from women’s sports

Washington — President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to ban transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity, marking his latest move targeting transgender rights. 

“The war on women’s sports is over,” Mr. Trump declared at a White House event celebrating the mandate. 

The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” mandates that Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools, be interpreted as prohibiting the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports. Those not in compliance jeopardize any federal funding they receive, Mr. Trump said. 

“We’re putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice,” he said. 

A White House official who briefed reporters on the order before Mr. Trump signed it said transgender female athletes can compete on co-ed or male teams. Republicans have argued that transgender girls and women athletes have biological advantages that are unfair and unsafe for other girls and women. 

“This is about preserving women’s sports for women, and that if you are not a woman, you should absolutely have opportunities in sports, but the burden should not always be on women to accommodate that,” the official said. 

The guidance will also affect U.S. visa policies for athletes who travel to the country to compete in the Olympics or other sporting events, Mr. Trump said. The U.S. will host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

Mr. Trump was surrounded by young female athletes as he signed the order. 

The executive order follows a Republican measure that passed the House last month. The bill passed 218 to 206, with two Democrats joining the Republican majority. 

The House bill, known as the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” would amend Title IX to recognize a person’s “sex” as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” Schools that allow “a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls” risk losing federal funding. 

The bill has yet to see any movement in the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority and senators have been consumed with confirming Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees. It’s also unclear whether the measure can amass seven Democratic votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. 

The president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Charlie Baker, called for clarity on the issue as he testified to Congress in December. But Baker said he was aware of “less than 10” transgender athletes among the more than half a million student athletes governed by the NCAA. 

“We believe that’s consistent with federal policy,” Baker said in a contentious exchange with Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri about why transgender athletes were permitted to participate in women’s sports. “The clarity on this issue at the federal level would be very helpful.” 

CBS News has reached out to the NCAA for comment. 

The issue was a political lightning rod during the 2024 campaign, with Republicans spending tens of millions of dollars on ads focusing on transgender rights issues in the weeks leading up to the election. 

Polling in recent years has found a lack of support for transgender athletes participating on sports teams that match their gender identity. About half of states limit transgender athlete participation. 

Mr. Trump underscored those feelings on the campaign trail, often talking about “keeping men out of women’s sports.” 

On his first day back in office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order asserting the federal government recognizes only two sexes — male and female — and that “these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” Another order aims to restrict transgender people from serving in the military. 

“The policy of this administration is that there are only two sexes — male and female. Pretty simple,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Wednesday’s press briefing. 

contributed to this report.