Happy New Year 2025

Tag: executive

Trump touts executive order keeping biological males from women’s sports

President Donald Trump touted the executive order he signed to keep biological males out of women’s sports earlier this week in his interview on Fox News Channel on Sunday.

Trump was asked in the interview by Bret Baier how he was going to bring the country together and find common ground with those who are against his policies.

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President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

“I’d love to do it. But I would say this: We have to come together, but to come together, there’s only one thing that’s going to do it, and that’s massive success,” Trump said. “Success will bring the country together. But it’s hard. And I say it’s hard.

Trump then turned his attention to the executive order.

“I just signed a bill allowing for women not to have to be punished by men in sports. In other words, men are not going to be allowed to play in sports against women. It’s ridiculous,” he said.

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President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events on Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump signed the order earlier in the week as he was joined by several athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. His signature came on National Girls and Women’s Sports Day.

The NCAA responded to Trump’s executive order by changing its trans participation policy.

“A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team,” the new policy read.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events on Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The previous policy, which had been in place in 2010, allowed biological males to compete in the women’s category after undergoing at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 9, 2025
Walz’s home state joins California in ignoring Trump’s executive order to ban transgenders from girls sports

The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban them from doing so.

Trump on Wednesday signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order, fulfilling one of his major campaign promises of keeping biological men out of girls and women’s sports.

The Minnesota organization said in an email to member schools that participation by, and eligibility of, transgender athletes is controlled by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ people, and the Minnesota Constitution.

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President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s or girls sporting events in the East Room of the White House Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity,” the organization said in a statement. “Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity.”

Minnesota joins California in ignoring Trump’s executive order. The state is governed by Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris’ running mate for the 2024 election; the Democrats won the state.

The state was home to a Supreme Court case where a transgender powerlifter was continuing the fight to compete against biological women.

Trump signed the executive order on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which celebrates female athletes in women’s sports and those committed to providing equal access to sports for all females.

President Donald Trump signs the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 5, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

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Prior to Trump signing the order Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said part of the motivation behind Trump’s executive order would be to create a “pressure campaign” for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NCAA to follow and prevent transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

In response to Trump’s order, the NCAA changed its policy, in place since 2010, to disallow transgender athletes from competing against women, requiring them to compete based on their birth gender.

During Trump’s ceremony at the White House to sign the executive order, he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028.

The United Nations released study findings saying nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of winning medals because they lost to transgender athletes.

Save Women’s Sports advisor Beth Stelzer holds a press conference outside the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championship at Georgia Tech in Atlanta March 17, 2022. (Brett Davis/USA Today Sports)

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The study, “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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February 8, 2025
Trump to sign executive order establishing White House faith office

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office on Friday.

The new office will “empower faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better serve families and communities,” according to a fact sheet obtained by Fox News.

The office will be housed under the Domestic Policy Council and will consult experts in the faith community on policy changes to “better align with American values.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES EXECUTIVE ORDER CREATING TASK FORCE TO ‘ERADICATE ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS’

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office on Friday (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The office plans to coordinate with other agencies on training for religious liberty and on elevating grant opportunities for non-profit faith-based entities, community organizations and houses of worship. It will also collaborate with the Department of Justice on identifying constitutional religious liberty protections.

WHITE HOUSE CALLS DEMOCRAT CRITICISM OF DOGE ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ AND ‘INCREDIBLY ALARMING’

Former President Donald Trump is prayed over with Pastor Paula White during the National Faith Summit at Worship With Wonders Church on Oct. 28, in Powder Springs, Ga. (AP/Alex Brandon)

The order will come one day after Trump signed an order to create a task force to identify “anti-Christian bias.”

The White House said this “Task Force to End the War on Christians” will comprise members of the president’s Cabinet and key government agencies, and the order seeks to “end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.”

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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It came after nearly two dozen pro-life Christians were charged and sentenced for demonstrating outside abortion facilities during the Biden administration. Trump pardoned 23 pro-life protesters in his first week on the job.

February 7, 2025
‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: Trump vows executive order ending ‘ridiculous’ push for paper straws

President Donald Trump is planning to end bans and restrictions on plastic straws, according to his recent post on Truth Social.

“I will be signing an Executive Order next week ending the ridiculous Biden push for Paper Straws, which don’t work,” Trump posted Friday. “BACK TO PLASTIC!”

If signed, the executive order would affect laws in several Democratic-run states that currently have bans or restrictions on single-use plastic straws, such as California, Colorado, New York, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island and Washington.

The impending executive order comes just months after the Biden administration announced plans in July to phase out single-use plastic in the federal government.

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President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci)

Blue states such as California and New York currently have laws in place limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants, unless it is requested by the customer.

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Democratic states have also adopted the use of paper straws as a more environment-friendly alternative, which has been criticized by Trump for years, who wrote in a 2019 social media post that “liberal paper straws don’t work.”

Blue states such as California and New York currently have laws in place limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants, unless it is requested by the customer. (Eric Baradat)

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“Greatest President ever!” wrote Elon Musk, who is leading efforts at the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in a post on X regarding the president’s plan for plastic straws.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 7, 2025
California plans to continue allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports despite Trump executive order

The State of California and its public school athletics association has indicated it will not fall in line with President Donald Trump’s latest executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls’ and women’s sports.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow the state’s law that allows athletes to participate as whichever gender they identify as, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey told Fox News Digital that her state’s intent to defy Trump’s executive order has made her feel “disgusted.”

“I am disgusted that CIF is disregarding yesterday’s executive order and instead doubling down on policies that are not only unfair, but dangerous for young women across California. By prioritizing their idol of transgender ideology over the safety and rights of female athletes, they are knowingly exposing high school girls to unsafe competition and stripping them of opportunities guaranteed for them under Title IX,” Lorey told Fox News Digital.

“One day, the CIF board will look back and realize they chose to be on the wrong side of history. They will have to answer for why they sacrificed the safety, fairness, and dignity of young girls to bow to an ideological agenda. But the rest of us will not stand by while female athletes are illegally prevented from competing fairly in their own sports.”

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President Donald Trump signs the No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

The NCAA announced Thursday that it has amended its policy on gender eligibility so that biological males are no longer allowed to compete in the women’s category in response to Trump’s order.

However, at the youth and high school level, girls may still be at the mercy of state law.

In California, a law called AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014, giving California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

California Code of Regulations section 4910(k) defines gender as, “A person’s actual sex or perceived sex and includes a person’s perceived identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that identity, appearance, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with a person’s sex at birth.”

CIF Bylaw 300.D. mirrors the Education Code, stating, “All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s records.”

These laws and the subsequent enabling of trans athletes to compete with girls and women in the state has resulted in multiple controversies over the issue over the last year alone.

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Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, is currently embroiled in one of the most contentious local controversies on the issue.

A recent school board meeting by the Riverside Unified School District on Dec. 19 featured a parade of parents berating the board for allowing a trans athlete on the Martin Luther King girls’ cross-country team. A lawsuit filed by two girls on the team alleges that their T-shirts in protest of that player were compared to swastikas simply because they said “Save Girls Sports.”

The father of a girl who lost her varsity spot to the trans athlete previously told Fox News Digital that his daughter and other girls at the school were told “transgenders have more rights than cisgender[s]” by school administrators when they protested the athlete’s participation.

Stone Ridge Christian High School’s girls’ volleyball team was scheduled to face San Francisco Waldorf in the Northern California Division 6 tournament but forfeited in an announcement just before the match over the presence of a trans athlete on the team.

A transgender volleyball player was booed and harassed at an Oct. 12 match between Notre Dame Belmont in Belmont, California, against Half Moon Bay High School, according to ABC 7. Half Moon Bay rostered the transgender athlete.

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California State Assembly member Kate Sanchez announced on Jan. 7 that she is introducing a bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Sanchez will propose the Protect Girls’ Sports Act to the state legislature. Currently, 25 states have similar laws in effect.

“Young women who have spent years training and sacrificing to compete at the highest level are now forced to compete against individuals with undeniable biological advantages. It’s not just unfair – it’s disheartening and dangerous,” Sanchez said in a statement announcing the bill.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 7, 2025
America First Legal files briefs in support of Trump executive order ending birthright citizenship

America First Legal filed two amicus briefs this week in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

The firm filed the briefs on behalf of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and 17 other committee members.

Despite there being nearly two dozen Democrat-run states and civil rights groups suing to stop the order and two federal judges ruling to temporarily block it, America First is arguing that there is a clear constitutional basis for denying citizenship to illegal migrants who have broken the country’s immigration laws.

‘BLATANTLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL’: US JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS TRUMP’S BAN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump’s order titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” states that “the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States” when that person’s parents are either unlawfully present in the U.S. or when the parents’ presence is lawful but temporary.

The briefs — which were filed in the federal courts for the Western District of Washington and the District of Massachusetts — argue that based on the “text and history” of the 14th Amendment, the Constitution does not confer citizenship on the children of unlawfully present aliens. The briefs claim that citizenship in the U.S. is a political right, not an automatic entitlement.

The 14th Amendment was passed in 1868 and was designed to extend citizenship to African-American former slaves. The amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Dan Epstein, vice president of America First Legal, told Fox News Digital that the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means that citizens must owe their political allegiance to the U.S., not some foreign power or culture. He said that Trump’s order would restore the constitutional principle that only those who are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. — that is loyal, law-abiding Americans — are citizens.

NUMEROUS US STATES SUE TRUMP OVER BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER AS SUPREME COURT COULD MAKE FINAL DECISION

President Donald Trump’s executive order is an effort to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci | Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“This executive order is constitutional and legally valid,” said Epstein. “The Constitution makes clear that it is not the ‘natural born citizen clause.’ It is a ‘natural born and subject to the jurisdiction thereof clause.’ And we can’t just scratch out ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’ ‘Jurisdiction thereof’ means something; it means you are a loyal subject to American jurisdiction and if you’re a disloyal subject — which is clearly someone whose parents entered here illegally — it means you don’t believe in the law.”

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“Congress has not specifically authorized that any individual born to illegal aliens on U.S. soil is by definition a citizen. That’s nowhere in the statute,” he explained. “If Congress decided to pass a law and the courts said it was constitutional, and it said that, in fact, if you’re born on American soil, you’re a citizen, well, then, we’re bound by that law and the Supreme Courts and the federal courts affirming that. But that’s just not the law.”

Epstein said that the U.S. policy of extending citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, including those born to illegal immigrants, breaks with American tradition and disrupts the rule of law.

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Dan Epstein, vice president of America First Legal, said that the U.S. policy of extending citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, including those born to illegal immigrants, breaks with American tradition and disrupts the rule of law. (U.S. Border Patrol)

“There’s a lot that hangs in the balance here,” he explained. “If we have an interpretation of the 14th Amendment that says that anyone born here is like African-Americans who have a history of slavery or of terrible things, then we actually dilute that American tradition of enfranchising the rights of the descendants of former slaves and that is not what the 14th Amendment was designed to do.”

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Despite Trump’s executive order being currently blocked, Epstein said that he is optimistic that the Supreme Court will eventually rule in Trump’s favor.

“My expectation is that this is a no-brainer. The law is clear, ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ has to mean something,” he said. “And whether you’re looking at the legislative history of that phrase or you’re looking at how it’s been applied — even in [U.S. vs.] Wong Kim Ark, the kind of preeminent case on this — makes clear that jurisdiction means allegiance. So, it’s not a very hard question. It’s a very clear question. And the law has a very clear answer.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 7, 2025
NCAA officially bans trans athletes from women’s sports 1 day after Trump signs executive order

The NCAA has officially changed its gender eligibility policies to ban all biological males from women’s sports one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to address the issue.

The governing body of college sports announced on Thursday afternoon its new participation policy for transgender student-athletes.

“A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team,” the new policy reads.

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The previous policy, which had been in place in 2010, allowed biological males to compete in the women’s category after undergoing at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment.

Trump signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D..C., in front of female athletes on National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Wednesday.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement later on Wednesday, saying it provided a “clear, national standard,” and that the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.

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“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes,” the statement said. “We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.

“The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy.”

Baker previously addressed concerns over the issue of female athletes having to share teams and locker rooms with trans athletes during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in December. There, Baker insisted that female athletes have the option to find other accommodations if they’re uncomfortable sharing with transgenders and that the NCAA’s policies that allow trans athletes to compete against women are based on federal standards.

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The previous policy has resulted in multiple lawsuits against the NCAA and its member schools. Former NCAA swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines is currently leading a lawsuit over her experience of having to compete with and share a locker room with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 national championships. She is joined by several other women athletes who have also been affected by trans inclusion.

Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday evening, when three of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates came forward with their own experiences of having to share a team and locker room with Thomas and were allegedly gaslit by their university administrators and fed pro-trans ideology.

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A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 6, 2025
Ravens GM’s wife goes to bat for Trump’s executive order on women’s sports, spars with team employee

Lacie DeCosta, the wife of Baltimore Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta, expressed support for President Donald Trump’s executive order protecting women’s and girls sports on Wednesday.

Trump signed the order in the East Room of the White House on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Lacie DeCosta declared in a post on X, “It’s a great day for women’s sports.”

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President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Ravens editorial director Ryan Mink posted in response, “trans women are women.” DeCosta made clear the issue was about “fairness.”

“Ryan Mink we don’t have to agree. I have played sports my entire life,” she added. “I was an All American lacrosse player. Many girls don’t see this as a trans issue but a fairness issue. I will always fight for fairness when it comes to girls in sports.”

The order gave federal agencies the power to ensure that entities receiving federal funding abide by original Title IX standards.

“This doesn’t have to be long. It’s all about common sense,” Trump said before signing the order, adding that “women’s sports will be only for women.”

Trump declared, “The war on women’s sports is over.”

A general view of a Baltimore Ravens helmet against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Denny Medley-Imagn Images)

RILEY GAINES: THE ALL-OUT WAR ON FEMALE ATHLETES ENDS NOW, THANKS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP

Trump was joined in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., by Independent Women ambassadors Riley Gaines, Payton McNabb, Paula Scanlan, Sia Liilii, Lauren Miller, Kim Russell, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Linnea Saltz and Lily Mullens.

Gaines, who hosts OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast, was among the champions of fairness in women’s sports after sharing her experience in the 2022 NCAA Championships with Lia Thomas.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing before Trump signed the executive order that it “upholds the promise of Title IX.”

“President Trump pledged to restore common sense to our country, and he’s continuing to deliver on that with an executive order that he will sign later today,” she added. “The president will be signing an executive order, keeping men out of women’s sports to defend the safety of athletes, protect competitive integrity and uphold the promise of Title IX.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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“This common-sense action from President Trump ends the disgusting betrayal of women and girls by the previous administration, who for years catered to radical activists who wanted biological males to be treated as women in workplaces, showers, competitive sports, prisons and even rape shelters. Gender ideology insanity is over.”

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
Top Arizona lawmaker spotlights ‘adorable moment’ as Trump signed women’s sports executive order

EXCLUSIVE: Arizona’s Senate president, Republican Sen. Warren Petersen, spoke to Fox News Digital after attending President Donald Trump’s signing of the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order, which Petersen called an “incredible” moment for female athletes nationwide.

“I think the impact is huge,” Petersen told Fox News Digital shortly after witnessing Trump sign the highly anticipated executive order to keep biological males out of women’s sports, fulfilling one of his most prominent campaign promises.

“We now have a multi-pronged approach to making sure that only girls play in girls sports and boys cannot play in girls sports,” Petersen said. “We’ve passed laws to do this. We’ve been litigating in the courts, and now we have the executive branch issuing an executive order saying that the way they’re interpreting Title IX is just boys and girls. Boys are boys and girls are girls. And if you violate this title, if you allow boys to play in girls sports, then you’re going to lose federal funding, and you’re going to be investigated. I think it’s great news.”

Citing recent polling, Petersen pointed out that 70% of Americans “want to see girls’ sports protected.”

RILEY GAINES: THE ALL-OUT WAR ON FEMALE ATHLETES ENDS NOW, THANKS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP

Sen. Warren Petersen, right, spoke to Fox News Digital about his experience at President Donald Trump’s executive order signing on Wednesday. (Getty Images)

“I think this is a perfect example of why you’re seeing Democrats with the 31% approval rating,” Petersen said. “I think this is a perfect example of what you saw in Arizona, that we increased our majorities, and we won virtually all of our competitive races. So I’m excited. I mean, President Trump is making girl sports great again and that’s good for America. That’s good for American girls. And girls can now pursue their dreams. It has been absolutely ridiculous that you’ve had girls work their whole lives, set goals, work hard only for some boy to come along and snatch their dreams away from them. In sports, it’s really been unthinkable that we have allowed this to happen to some of our girls and some of the women.”

Petersen, who posted a photo at the event with former NCAA swimmer and girls sports activist Riley Gaines, spoke to Fox News Digital about the “disconnect” between the average American voter and Democrat politicians on the issue of girls’ sports.

RILEY GAINES TEARS INTO WNBA STAR, WHO GAVE CAITLIN CLARK BLACK EYE, FOR WEARING ANTI-TRUMP SHIRT

President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“They’re totally out of touch with their voters,” Petersen said. “They have this really loud, small faction that’s well-funded and well-organized, but it is by far out of touch with what the vast majority of Americans believe. And quite frankly, it’s out of touch with logic and science. The biggest gaslight that we have had to deal with over the last several years are the Democrats trying to convince the rest of America that boys are girls. I mean, that is total lunacy, totally insane. It flies in the face of just common logic and the voters sent a message loud and clear that they’re not going to have it.”

As Trump was signing the executive order, dozens of young female athletes who were in the audience walked up to the table and surrounded Trump after he invited them over in a moment that Petersen called “incredible.”

“I think it was just a feeling of relief, I can’t believe this battle is over,” Petersen told Fox News Digital. “The boys playing in girls sports, you know, stolen titles from our girls and women. That time is over. And I thought it was really an adorable moment. We’re you’re just extremely grateful for this president.”

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President Donald Trump waves after signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“I think this common sense move that he’s making is just, you know, the reason why his his polling is very high right now. And, you know, people are just so sick of politicians making promises saying they’re going to do things…and nobody can say that Trump is not fulfilling his promises because not only is Trump fulfilling his promises, but he’s doing it at a breakneck speed.”

Petersen, who has filed paperwork to run for attorney general in Arizona, told Fox News Digital that he will continue to fight for the “right side” of this issue in his home state.

“I’m the lead defendant in a case to protect the Save Women’s Sports Act in Arizona,” Petersen explained.

“It’s sitting at the Supreme Court right now. We’re going to see that trial all the way through. We have an attorney general who’s completely out of touch with the rest of the Democrats. She wouldn’t defend the law. She thought it was okay for boys to play in girl sports. So I am defending that law. It’s in the Supreme Court. We are going to see that all the way through.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 6, 2025
Trump executive order on protecting women’s sports draws response from NCAA

The NCAA responded to President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep biological men out of women’s sports Wednesday night.

Trump signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room of the White House in front of female athletes on National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement, saying it provided a “clear, national standard.”

Baker said the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.

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President Donald Trump waves after signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports in the East Room of the White House Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes,” the statement said. “We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.

“The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy.”

Trump was joined by Independent Women ambassadors Riley Gaines, Payton McNabb, Paula Scanlan, Sia Liilii, Lauren Miller, Kim Russell, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Linnea Saltz and Lily Mullens.

NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks during a press conference celebrating the 25-year anniversary of the NCAA moving its national office to Indianapolis Aug. 13, 2024, at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. (Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar/USA Today Network)

“This doesn’t have to be long. It’s all about common sense,” Trump said before signing the order, adding that “women’s sports will be only for women. The war on women’s sports is over.”

RILEY GAINES: THE ALL-OUT WAR ON FEMALE ATHLETES ENDS NOW, THANKS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing before Trump signed the executive order that it “upholds the promise of Title IX.”

Leavitt said Trump expected the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to comply.

“He does expect the Olympic committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women’s sports,” she said. “I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls.

“Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level of the White House. He expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order he will be signing today.”

Felicia Martin, vice president of the NCAA’s Eligibility Center, spoke at a congressional briefing in Washington Wednesday to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day and suggested the NCAA Board of Governors is already discussing potential policy changes once Trump’s executive order goes into effect.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s and girls sporting events in the East Room of the White House Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“We know that this is an issue and a national conversation happening around participation,” she said. “The Board of Governors is right now having conversations about what potential next steps might be, but this is absolutely one of those issues that is ongoing.

“But without a national standard that can be applied across the board, all of us are making decisions based on what we think is the best for student-athletes and opportunities.”

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Martin added that she expects more clarity on a national standard later in the day from Trump. She also said the Board of Governors would make its decisions on any policy changes based on the specific details of the executive order.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025