Trump Goes Head To Head In Verbal Spat With Maine’s Governor Over Transgender Sports Ban

The Trump Administration’s vendetta against trans athletes has officially reached tantrum status. After weeks of attacking trans rights through various executive orders, things came to a head during a meeting with all 50 governors on Friday. President Trump paused his opening remarks to call out Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, for refusing to comply with his recent executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports teams at schools that receive federal funding. 

During his welcome remarks to the governors, Trump began to discuss the executive order, boasting that the NCAA had complied immediately, before pausing to look for Mills in the crowd. He then began to attack her directly, asking why she would not comply with the order. Mills held her ground, responding, “We are complying with state and federal laws.” This seemed to anger the president, who replied, “We are the federal law.”

The argument quickly devolved into threats, with Trump claiming he would cut all federal funding to Maine, warning that Mills “would not be an elected politician” again after her current gubernatorial term, and shouting “You better comply!” at four separate points. Mills retained her composure, responding, “We’ll see you in court.” 

Mills’ behavior at the governors’ meeting quickly earned her widespread admiration from colleagues and constituents. Maine local Stephen King tweeted that Mills’ composure during the argument “Makes me proud to be a Maine man,” thanking her for “standing up to the bully.” 

However, some fellow politicians expressed skepticism about her tactics. Even Mills’ fellow Democratic governors appeared hesitant to throw their support behind her. Colorado governor and National Governors’ Association president Jared Polis, the first openly gay man to be elected governor, told Fox News, “We always hope that people can disagree in a way that elevates the discourse and tries to come to a common solution around what the issue is. I don’t think that that disagreement was necessarily a model of that.” 

“I don’t think a lot of us went in really even aware of what the conflict was about,” said Polis. “But look, if there’s a conflict there, I encourage everybody to get together and work it out.” 

In her own statement after the initial exchange, Mills wrote, “Do not be misled: This is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a president can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law.” She also issued a warning to those skeptical about her behavior: “You must ask yourself: Who and what will he target next, and what will he do? Will it be you?”