President Donald Trump asked Maine Governor Janet Mills if her state would comply with the executive order he signed banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. He didn’t like her answer.
The president was addressing Democratic and Republican governors at the White House, when the confrontation occurred.
He was about an hour into the meeting with a bipartisan group of governors when he suddenly remembered that the leaders of Maine had been resisting an executive order he signed banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
“Is Maine here?” he wondered aloud. “The governor of Maine?”
“Yeah,” Gov. Janet Mills answered from across the room. “I’m here.”
Referring to the executive order, President Trump asked: “Are you not going to comply with that?”
“I’m complying with the state and federal laws,” the governor said, rather pointedly.
During the exchange, President Trump told Governor Mills: “You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding.”
“See you in court,” the governor shot back.
“Good,” he said, sounding surly.
“I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.” He paused and then added, “and enjoy your life after governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
Governor Mills responded in a statement on February 21, saying her state “will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.”
On February 6, President Donald Trump signed an executive order preventing transgender women from competing in female sports categories.
