In the wake of President Donald Trump’s threat to pull over $280 million in federal funding from Maine schools if they continue to allow males to compete in girls’ sports, Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) vowed that the state would take legal action to resist him.
“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. The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats,” said Gov. Mills.
If Mills follows through on her threat to sue the Trump administration over the president’s attempt to pull funding, it would add to a rapidly growing list of legal actions taken in Maine and across the nation to hinder his agenda.
After Trump’s initial statement, he berated Mills in person for her refusal to comply with his executive order.
“Well you better do it, [comply with the order], you better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And, by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, you’re population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports,” said Trump.
[RELATED: Trump and Mills Go Head to Head Over Trans Row]
Mills responded, telling Trump, “See you in court.”
“Good, I’ll see you in court, I look forward to that, that should be a real easy one,” said Trump.
He went on to tell Mills that he does not think that she has any future in elected politics.
The controversy came after President Trump singled out Maine during a speech on Thursday at the Republican Governors Association (RGA), promising to pull funding in response to a transgender-identifying male dominating a high school girls’ pole vault competition.
[RELATED: Trans Identifying Male Leap-frogs Competitors at Girls’ Pole Vaulting Meet in Maine…]
“I heard men are still playing in Maine,” said Trump, “Well, I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money. They are saying that we want men to play in women’s sports and I cannot believe that they’re doing that.”
President Trump’s comments puts Maine Democrats in a difficult position. They can either stay silent and lose support from radical leftists who could see silence as capitulation, or oppose the president and risk losing the majority of Democrat voters who believe men have no place in women’s sports.
Recent polling shows that 79 percent of Americans, and even 67 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Americans, believe that men should not compete in women’s sports.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) tried to have it both ways when spoke out in response to the president’s statement, condemning his actions while acknowledging that males should not be allowed to compete in girls’ sports.
“Every child has a right to a quality education and it’s wrong to punish every Maine school over a policy disagreement that applies to a small fraction of students,” said Rep. Golden.
He clarified that he agrees with the underlying argument that men should not be in women’s sports, but opposes the president’s methodology.
“I also believe the state got this policy wrong; In public schools in Maine, biological boys shouldn’t compete in sports against biological girls. While we in Congress wrestle over the role of the federal government versus the states in education, state political and education leaders have the authority to resolve this issue, and they should,” said Golden.
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) weighed in with a statement on BlueSky Social, calling Trump’s efforts an unconstitutional abuse of power.
“Federal funding is not a political bargaining chip, President Trump’s threat to cut off funding to Maine is not only an egregious abuse of power–it’s an unconstitutional act of coercion designed to force states into his extreme and discriminatory agenda,” said Rep. Pingree.
Pingree’s belief that the agenda is “extreme” does not align with polling that shows the vast majority of Americans are opposed to males in women’s sports.
Maine’s Senior Senator Susan Collins (R), widely considered a moderate, issued a lengthy statement in response to the escalating situation, urging respectful treatment of transgender-identifying people and opposing the president’s method, while, like Golden, speaking against men in women’s sports.
“Allowing biological males who identify as transgender to compete in women’s sports has threatened to undermine the core purposes behind Title IX. This is not a political issue; this is a matter of biology,” said Sen. Collins in a statement provided to the Bangor Daily News.
“I oppose the President’s attempt to curtail funding for Maine, and will advocate vigorously for our fair share of federal funding for Maine schools. And again, I believe that we must treat transgender people with respect and dignity,” she added.
While Democrats face a potential lose-lose situation, some Republicans have celebrated the President’s comments.
“President Trump pledges to step in to protect girls’ sports in Maine and clean up the failure by both the Maine Principals’ Association and the Maine Democrat Majority,” said Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn).
Rep. Libby faced backlash from Democrats for initially publishing a picture of the transgender-identifying male standing victorious over girls.
The President’s promise also drew praise from Riley Gaines, a prominent conservative activist opposed to boys competing in girls’ sports.
“Moral clarity & accountability are back in the White House. Praise God,” said Gaines.
The Maine Wire reached out to the Maine Principals Association (MPA), asking if they would change their policy and bar males from girls’ sports following Trump’s threats, but they did not respond.
Up to this point, the MPA and other educational authorities have stuck to their plan of resisting Trump, though it remains unclear how long that resistance can last in the face of Trump’s threats to cut funding, or how the courts might intervene on this question.
Mills got to look like an idiot on the national stage. Proud of her, lol.
I agree with Golden sort of, why should the state be punished for just a few kids with mental illness. Just get them out of girls locker rooms, bathrooms and sports, problem solved, why is so difficult to understand. Is a male coach allowed in the girls locker room while they are changing or showering?
And where is Mills getting the money to sue, money to burn I guess.
Trump should have reminded Mills that we are last in education, high taxes and Augusta is the worst State capitol to live in. I think Mills has her priorities mixed up.
Good job there Janet . Good job.
There’s $280,000,000 right out the window because YOU think queer boys should beat girls at sporting events . Janet Mills I wish you would resign you’re position and give us back our state .
YOU are destroying Maine . We don’t want or need you here . Please leave .
Democrats are Destroying Maine . That includes YOU TOO Pingree .
Im SO glad Pres Trump put this evil demon in her place. She does NOT represent the majority of Mainers, nor has she done anything positive for our state, cut off that money. All of it. Mills should be thrown out of office, because what she has done to this state borders on criminal.
Actually the headline reads “Trump destroys governor to her face as he threatens to defund entire state”. The Daily Mail, England. The bitch slap heard around the world. Mills, worse governor of maine and gaining quickly on newscum for worse governor of all time.
Maine is an embarrassment… Maine got into this because it was hijacked by progressive left wing loons & we allowed them to slowly ooze into our way of life and politics… now, Maine, a poor tourist and hunting state has to constantly defend against 2nd amendment rights, biological rights, religious rights etc… it’s time to get involved and fight back Mainers… Trump can’t fight every fight for us.
Maine is my birth state. It always was a refuge from all the nut cases.
Now it’s changed from Vacationland into Nutcaseland.
Really sad considering the majority is still against all this.
If a man is in the girls locker room or rest room, we should be able to call the police & have the perp arrested and get a lifetime of government monitoring like any sex criminals
Dems talk so much about defending womanhood while they attack it
“Maine’s Senior Senator Susan Collins (R), widely considered a
moderate”liberal. There I fixed it for ya.Typical uppity lesbian, cant tell em nothing.
PNS and Bath Iron both depend on government money to exist, shut em down.
Once again the Governor chooses to embarrass the state of Maine. Augusta continues to make thier own laws, try decide who we can vote for and recklessly waste our tax dollars.
Now we have a mental health issue at Greely that our last place education system mishandled costing us millions. Does it ever end with this progressive bullshit?
Bitchslaped in front of the national media and all her fellow governors!
Laurel Libby for Governor
I work nationwide and this afternoon hade people from all over the country sending me texts asking what the hell is wrong with Maine.
Loose lips sink ships Janet. What got into you? To make you think?A sassy challenge to President Trump?On national television?Could win friends and influence people? You have no sense of fair play or who your constituents may be. Hopefully the attention you brought to Maine will magnify the funny business with the Chinese CCP Cartel illegal poisonous cannabis business that you and your minions support. Welcome Pam Bondi, Tom Homan, Kristy Noem, Kash Patel.
Maine needs your attention and Janet is crying for help.
I read somewhere that the DEA had opened a Title IX investigation. Anybody know if there’s any truth in that?
What an embarrassment Mills has become for Maine citizens. Don’t stop with cutting federal aid for education – cut all federal aid and watch Maine wither away.
So what WILL General Mills be doing in 2027 — she will be 79 years old, not able to run for Governor again until she is 82 years old, and even if Golden ran for Governor or Senator, she would not be as popular as he in the 2nd District.
So what WILL General Mills be doing? And to what extent is she making plans for it now?
Trump should have told her (and Pritzket too) that “You do NOT represent the people of that state, you represent your own corrupt money stealing interest”.
Ask any farmer from the middle of either state and you will find them homicidally angry at you and they will tell you to your face you do not represent them and you need to resign.
I work for the State of Illinois and Pritzker is hated by all state employees viscerally: the average people I see in my office want him gone; not just farmers.
But he doesn’t care what they think, and neither does Mills.
Pathetic.
Welcome home Janet, your cell is ready.
Trump has survived every lawfare suit brought against him. Do you think Millstone has a chance of taking him down on this issue?
What a pervert she is. I’m signing the petition to have Janet Mills recalled. https://www.change.org/p/people-of-maine-recall-governor-janet-mills-for-incompetence-and-financial-irregularities
Hey Pingree was this unconstitutional,
https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/no-free-lunch-biden-admin-will-pull-meal-funding-for-schools-that-dont-comply-with-its-lgbt-agenda/