President Donald Trump sparred with Maine's Democratic governor during a meeting of governors at the White House on Friday, with Gov. Janet Mills telling the Republican president, “We'll see you in court,” over his push to deny federal funding to the state over transgender athletes.
Trump told the governor he looked forward to it, and predicted the end of her political career for opposing his order.
The confrontation came after Mills and Trump had traded barbs over the last 24 hours regarding his push to bar transgender athletes from playing in girls’ and women’s sports. The confrontation in the State Dining Room was an unusual breach of the typically courteous interactions that lawmakers, even of opposing parties, have historically shared at the White House.
The back-and-forth came in the middle of the president's remarks welcoming the nation's governors to the White House. As he was speaking about an executive order he signed earlier this month on transgender athletes, he sought out Mills in the room after singling her out a day earlier in remarks to the Republican Governors Association.
“Is Maine here, the governor of Maine?" he asked.
“I'm here,” she replied.
"Are you not going to comply with it?” he asked.
“I'm complying with state and federal laws," Mills replied.
Trump responded, “We are the federal law." He again threatened the state's federal funding and said Maine may be a Democratic state but its residents largely agree with him on this issue.
“We’re going to follow the law," she said.
“You'd better comply," Trump warned. "Otherwise, you're not getting any federal funding."
“We’ll see you in court,” the governor replied.
“Good, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one,” Trump said. “And enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics."
Trump made a similar threat Thursday night as he spoke to a group of Republican governors. He said that he “heard men are still playing in Maine” and that he would pull funding because of it.
“So we’re not going to give them any federal funding. None whatsoever, until they clean that up,” Trump said.
The Maine Principals’ Association, which governs high school sports in the state, said earlier this month that it would continue to allow transgender female athletes to compete. The association's executive director, Mike Burnham, said it would follow the Maine Human Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on gender identity.
Mills and Maine's Democratic attorney general responded Friday morning to Trump's comments the night before, issuing statements declaring they'd push back.
Mills said the state “will not be intimidated” by Trump’s threats.
“If the president attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my administration and the attorney general will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides,” Mills said in a statement before the confrontation with Trump.
Aaron Frey, Maine's attorney general, said he would “defend Maine’s laws and block efforts by the president to bully and threaten us.”
The order Trump signed earlier this month gives federal agencies wide latitude to make sure entities that receive federal funding abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration’s view, which interprets “sex” as the gender someone was assigned at birth.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
23 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
She should have replied with, "we don't have kings in the country, sir, and the sooner you learn that the better".
plasticmonkey
Good to see someone who dares stand up to the bully.
Yrral
Trump is mental deranged,knowing this will save your sanity, only thing Trump understands is coerce legal mean ,he will.be tied up in court for the duration of his administration,a judge in NY Eric Adams case ,has launched an.independent lawyer to investigate Trump DOJ lawyers Google Judge Ho
bass4funk
It’s over, just a matter of time until this too passes, women should always be protected. Of course transgenders shouldn’t be harmed or ridiculed, but the intrusion on women’s privacy or allowing biological born men to compete against biological born women is just nuts, but give it time, by next year and beyond we will be looking back in disgust how we ever could have ever allowed this to happen to women.
JJE
Even CNN polls show 87% support for DJT on this basic issue.
Women sports for women.
stormcrow
The Dems need to get away from these kinds issues most Americans agree with Trump on.
Toblerone
Trump is absolutely correct here. He is the voice of reason and sanity and most Americans know it.
I'veSeenFootage
There are actually 510,000 athletes in college sports in the United States. The NCAA president estimates that out of those 510,000 athletes, less than ten (10) are biological men playing women's sports.
Less. Then. 10.
There are mass shootings every week in the country, but these people think it's more important to make laws affecting... less than 10 people. Buffoons.
bass4funk
Thankfully that is a very small minuscule opinion
I'veSeenFootage
You actually think people care more about a tiny fraction of a chance of women being disadvantaged in a sport than... about women getting killed.
...That is literally insane.
wallace
And Transsexual men, women who become men. Are they also excluded?
I'veSeenFootage
So why aren't any laws passed to do something, anything, to reduce mass shootings?
Do you think the "trans men in sports" issue is more important than people getting killed by firearms?
Blacklabel
Another thing that will disappear from the media like it never happened once Maine loses in court.
I'veSeenFootage
Aaaah so you too agree that this whole trans fear-mongering is completely fabricated by the right-wing media because they were running out of people to scare voters with!
Blacklabel
No, just remove men from women’s sports, as this President told you to do and was elected by the people to order.
Blacklabel
Of course the media pushes any “resisters” they can find in any given moment.
then drop the whole thing like it never happened when they lose in court at the end.
browny1
2 serious points for consideration here.
The first is as others indicated - "How is this even a topic of National Importance"?
With so many other pressing problems affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions, Trump plays the Musk card (they took my son and made him a woman) to garner publicity and seek more control over ordinary people.
And 2ndly - Now Trump is going to withhold funding for the state which 1,000s upon 1,000s of citizens rely on, unless his demands are met. As if he has the sovereignty to demand an ultimatum - Bow down or Suffer.
The Rabbit Hole is quickly becoming a Worm Hole - into a parallel realm.
Bizzaro World.
Sad Chuckles.
itsonlyrocknroll
Transgender athletes playing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Be frank open honest, a biological male identifying as a female, however their body structure remains male, with all the obvious advantages entering women young girls changing rooms, denying women young girls from open and fair access to women sports.
No more no less.
The toxic poison of identity gender politics writ loud and clear, that why I would vote for Trump/Vance every election if I could.
That is why Donald Trump is President of the United States of America convincingly.
wallace
Is it a decision for the federal government or the state governments?
Blacklabel
Oh…..now the left is all for “states rights”? lol
wallace
It was a question you didn't answer.
Blacklabel
I mean wouldn’t it really be a surprise if the federal government did not control federal funding?
it’s kinda in the name.
bass4funk
Exactly, she's not going to win this, Federal law overrides state laws, now if this woman wants to throw her entire career out the window over this issue and not comply, that is on her.