Hundreds gathered at the Maine State Capitol in Augusta on Saturday to protest Governor Janet Mills following her recent clash with President Donald Trump over transgender athletes’ participation in sports.
The demonstration, organized by citizen Melissa Moulton and dubbed “March Against Mills” on social media, drew protesters wielding American flags and “Don’t Tread on Me” banners. Among the diverse crowd, some participants displayed signs including one reading “Love Trump’s Hate,” indicating a mixed political presence at the event.
The protest follows a heated exchange between Mills and Trump at the National Governors Association meeting in the White House State Dining Room on February 21. During the session, Trump confronted Mills about his executive order banning transgender athletes from female sports.
When Trump asked if she would comply with his order, Mills responded: “I’m complying with state and federal laws.”
Trump warned: “Well, we are the federal law. You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t.”
Mills shot back: “We’re going to follow the law, sir. We’ll see you in court.”
The controversy has sparked a recall effort, with an online petition on Change.org garnering more than 23,000 verified signatures as of Saturday afternoon. However, Maine is among 30 states that lack a mechanism for recalling governors.
Mills, who has served since 2019 and will complete her second term in January 2027 due to term limits, remains firm in her stance. In a statement following the White House confrontation, she said: “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.”
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has also pushed back against Trump’s threats, stating any funding linkage would be “illegal and in direct violation of federal court orders.” Frey added it was “disturbing that President Trump would use children as pawns in advancing his political agenda.”
The Trump administration has since initiated a Title IX investigation into Maine’s Department of Education, alleging discrimination against female athletes.
