Pres. Donald Trump has gotten a lot of attention for the things he has said and done since he took office. This includes an interaction that happened just a few days ago between Trump and Maine governor, Janet Mills.
The issue involved Trump’s executive order that banned trans athletes in women’s sports. After holding a meeting at the White House on February 21, Trump told Mills that she had to comply with the order. That order is to keep transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports.
Mills was singled out during the discussion and it was because Trump had heard that her state was the only one unwilling to comply with the order. He then said that funding for schools would be pulled from the state unless she followed the ruling.
He asked her: “Are you not going to comply with it?”
In response, she said: “I’m complying with state and federal laws.”
He then threatened Mills, saying: “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.”
She immediately fired back, “We’ll see you in court.”
Trump responded: “Good. I’ll see you in court. I’ll look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after, governor, because I don’t think you’ll be in elected politics.”
For all the right reasons, many are branding the conversation as being ‘uncomfortable’.
The governor of Oklahoma has since spoken about the issue. He 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.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis also said that it didn’t work for generating productive discussions between the members. They said: “We always hope that people can disagree in a way that elevates the discourse and tries to come to a common solution.”
Stitt added: “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 the executive order signed by President Trump was to remove funding for any states that still allowed trans girls to compete in women’s sports. The Maine Principal’s Association said earlier this month that trans students would still be able to participate.
Before the issue between Trump and Mills took place, he had already said that they wouldn’t be receiving federal funding until they complied.
Mills also made a statement, saying: “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.”
Sounds like a hornet’s nest if I ever heard one.
