Governors reveal what really happened after Trump asked Maine's leader if she'd comply with new executive order for trans athletes in public clash
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/ABCNews
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Warning: This article contains discussion of trans issues which some readers may find distressing.
Just days ago, President Donald Trump had a heated debate with Maine Governor Janet Mills over his executive order banning trans athletes in women' sports.
During a meeting with the governors at the White House on Friday (February 21), Trump told Mills that she must comply with his executive order which proposes to keep transgender women and girls from competing in women's sports.
Trump singled out Mills during the discussion, as he explained that he had heard Maine is the only state that is unwilling to comply with his order, before insisting that he will pull funding from the state - including schools, if she refuses to follow his ruling.
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“Are you not going to comply with it?” Trump asked her, to which Mills replied: “I’m complying with state and federal laws.”
The president then threatened: “We are federal law, you better do it. You better do it, because you’re not going to get federal funding… Your population doesn’t want men in women’s sports.”
“We’ll see you in court,” Mills replied.
“Good. I’ll see you in court. I’ll look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.” Trump responded. “And enjoy your life after, governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
According to some of the governors, the discussion was 'uncomfortable'.
Speaking to Mail Online, vice-chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Kevin Stitt, who is also the governor of Oklahoma, said: "It was a little uncomfortable in the room. But, like Governor Polis said, I wasn't sure exactly what the backstory was behind the conflict there."
Meanwhile, Colorado Governor Jared Polis claimed the discussion wasn't great in terms of attempting to generate a productive discourse between members on the NGA.
"We always hope that people can disagree in a way that elevates the discourse and tries to come to a common solution." he said.
However, Stitt went on to say that it 'may have been good politics for both sides', adding: "The NCAA has followed that, I think the Olympics have. And then you have a governor saying that they're not going to follow that.
"So, I don't know what legal background she has, but they talked about seeing each other in court. And we'll see what happens."
Part of Trump's executive order aims to strip funding towards schools who allow trans girls to compete in women's sport, however, the Maine Principal's Association decreed earlier this month that they would still be allowing trans students to partake, citing the Maine Human Right's Act, PBS reports.
Prior to his debate, Trump was reported as saying they wouldn't be receiving federal funding 'until they clean that up'.
In a statement, Mills said (via The Independent): "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."
This led to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights into Maine's alleged violation of Title IX.
In a statement, Mills said she'd be working alongside the general attorney to defend Maine in court, however, she added that she believed this was about 'whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation', which she says he 'cannot'.