EXCLUSIVE: Education Secretary Pledges More Action As UPenn Strips Lia Thomas Of Female Sports Titles
Education Secretary Linda McMahon told the Daily Caller in an exclusive interview that Tuesday’s deal with the University of Pennsylvania is the roadmap for changing women’s sports.
The Trump administration paused $175,000,000 in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania in March, after the school’s policies came in direct conflict with the president’s executive order prohibiting biological men from competing in women’s sports. The school and the administration reached an agreement on Tuesday which forced the institution to strip transgender swimmer Lia Thomas of previous records and titles while competing in women’s sports. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Admin Urges NCAA To Strip Women’s Titles From Lia Thomas, Other Trans Athletes)
“Hopefully today that the agreement that we have reached with University of Pennsylvania is going to be the template and the model for other schools to follow, and those are going to be the things that we’re going to be insisting upon and working with all these different universities, or K-12, as the case may be,” McMahon told the Caller in an exclusive interview.
Transgender athlete Lia Thomas participated in the 2022 NCAA championships, winning the 500-yard women’s final by 1.75 seconds. Riley Gaines competed against Thomas in March 2022, tying for fifth place with Thomas in the 200-meter freestyle during the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championship in March 2022.
NEWS: The Trump admin has struck a deal with UPenn, forcing the school to strip Lia Thomas of his records, titles and other recognitions won while competing on the women’s sports team. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/1FZIeBZWnI
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) July 1, 2025
Under the agreement struck by the White House and UPenn, the institution must send a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer, a White House official shared with the Caller. The agreement does not specifically name Thomas.
As apart of the agreement, UPenn will issue a public statement to the University community stating that it will comply with Title IX, specifying that UPenn “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs or occupy Penn Athletics female intimate facilities,” a White House official told the Daily Caller.
“I can tell you from [my staff] reporting to me that it was back and forth [with UPenn], they clearly wanted to unfreeze the dollars,” McMahon told the Caller.
“It’s about $175 million, so they knew we were serious. And the fact that they kept coming back to the table to make sure that they got this right, I was incredibly pleased with it,” she added.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon announces that UPenn will write a letter of apology to @Riley_Gaines_, @PaulaYScanlan and all the women wronged by their policy allowing men to compete in women’s sports. pic.twitter.com/fR3ML4DaeU
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) July 1, 2025
The statement also must specify that UPenn will adopt biology-based definitions for the words “male” and “female” which is “pursuant to Title IX and consistent with President Trump’s Executive Orders ‘Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism’ and ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,’” the official shared with the Caller.
The institution will also be asked to “rescind any of its guidance that violated Title IX, remove or revise any internal and public-facing statements or documents that are inconsistent with Title IX, and notify all staff and women’s athletics of all such recissions,” the official explained.
UPenn responded to the news in a statement on Tuesday, restating the deal they agreed to with the administration and writing that they committed to fostering a “welcoming, inclusive and open” environment.
“I share this commitment, just as I remain dedicated to preserving and advancing the University’s vital and enduring mission. We have now brought to a close an investigation that, if unresolved, could have had significant and lasting implications for the University of Pennsylvania,” UPenn President Dr. J. Larry Jameson wrote in a statement.
McMahon also told the Caller that the issue of keeping men out of women’s sports had been very important to Trump, who brought the issue up several times both on the campaign trail and in personal conversations.
“He would often tell the story about Riley Gaines being in the pool against Leah Thomas. He said, ‘Oh my gosh. How could, how could this small person suddenly have this guy flying by her? It’s just not fair,’” McMahon said.
“He was true to his word. It was February 5 when he signed this executive order, and he meant business, and I think people know that he means business,” McMahon finished.
