The Trump administration is prepared to take action against states that allow biological men to compete in women's sports if they violate an expected Supreme Court decision, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
Former NCAA swimmer and women's sports advocate Riley Gaines took the "new media" seat at the White House press briefing and used her first question to spotlight the high-stakes Supreme Court arguments heard earlier this week involving Idaho and West Virginia laws that protect girls' and women's sports.
Gaines noted the court heard two major arguments on whether states can defend "sex-based rights" for women and asked Leavitt directly whether the administration would take action against states that do not have similar safeguards if the Supreme Court rules, as anticipated, in favor of those protections.
"Absolutely," Leavitt replied. "And as you know ... the administration already has done so."
She added that the White House has taken action "on a number of fronts" against states and institutions she said are failing to uphold President Donald Trump's executive orders.
Leavitt pointed to efforts involving major universities, emphasizing that the administration's policy is "simply protecting women in women's sports and in women's private spaces."
The press secretary also framed the issue as a matter of biological reality and equal rights, saying women and men are "inherently equal," but "certainly different," and that women "deserve such rights."
She said the president is speaking "common sense" on the issue and argued the country should not be afraid to say there are "two genders" and "two sexes."
The remarks come as the Supreme Court appears likely to uphold state laws that bar transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's school sports.
After more than three hours of arguments Tuesday, the conservative majority gave little indication it would side with transgender athletes challenging the bans.
The report said at least five of the court's six conservatives signaled they would rule the laws do not violate the Constitution or Title IX, the landmark statute that prohibits sex discrimination in education and helped fuel dramatic growth in women's sports.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has coached his daughters' girls basketball teams, underscored the real-world impact of the debate, voicing concern about competitive fairness and warning that the harm to girls, such as losing a medal, cannot be brushed aside.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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