Transcript of Governor Mills on Maine Senate Run and Standing up to Trump

As we approach the no king's protests, peaceful protests coming up this week, I want to remind people that it was not a foregone conclusion that people would actually stand up to this tyrant. There were simple acts, courageous acts, along the way that inspired me. For example, this video has been surfacing lately, and this, to me, was one of those moments. It was back in February 2025, when Donald Trump just thought he was going to steamroll over all the Democratic governors without resistance at all. You'll remember this moment where Maine's governor, Janet Mills, stood up to Donald Trump in front of his face without missing a beat. Let's watch this.

Maine. Is Maine here, the governor of Maine? Are you not going to comply with it?

I'm complying with the state federal law.

Well, we are the federal law. Well, you better do it. 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, your population doesn't want men playing in women's sports. So you better comply because otherwise, you're not getting any federal funding. I'll see you in court. Every state... Good, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. Enjoy your life after governor because I don't think you'll be in elected politics.

What a powerful moment right there to his face, and you all know the outcome of what took place. When you stand up to this bully, when you stand up for the Constitution, you win. Governor Mills won. Let me show you what went down. Let's play this clip.

A few months ago, I stood in the White House and went confronted by the President of the United States. I told him I'd see him in court. Well, I did see him in court, and we won. I am so pleased to say that Aaron Fry's able representation of the State of Maine has resulted in a binding agreement by the US Department of Agriculture,brooke-Rollins, and all her staff, whereby they agreed to refrain from freezing, terminating, or otherwise interfering with the State of Maine's access to USDA funds allocated to any official or agency or Department of the State of Maine based on alleged violations of Title IX.

Now, I want to bring in the governor of Maine, Governor Janet Mills, served two terms, very successful governor in Maine. Before that, She served as the attorney general on and off, but for a total of eight years as the attorney general in Maine. And now you have announced that you are running for United States Senate as the Democratic candidate in Maine. I want to talk about your launch in the campaign in just a moment, but I just want to talk about the clip that I just showed where you stood up to Donald Trump without hesitation right there and one in court. Just remind people about that moment because I I thought it was one of those moments when I was watching, when I was like, All right, game on. There are governors who are going to fight this.

Thanks. Thanks, Ben. It's great to be on the show. Hey, listen, that was a jaw-dropping moment for me, and I think for a lot of people across the country. What I said, I wasn't sure anybody even heard it, but I guess they did. Because what was jaw-dropping for me was when the President of the United States said, He is the law. I mean, my God, nobody says that. As an American citizen, that just really took me off guard and was astonishing. The President of the United States is supposed to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. That's what the Constitution says. He's not supposed to be making up laws or amending laws or repealing laws by executive order, by tweet, by press conference, press release. That's not his job. He's not authorized under the Constitution to do that. That's what me back as an American citizen, as a lawyer. What could I say? I'm following state and federal law. I said, I'd see you in court. We did see him in court. A little while later, Brook Rollins, the Secretary of Agriculture, sent this weird letter to me saying she was going to stop or halt all federal funding for the education programs in Maine, including, most particularly, the school lunch program.

She's not going to feed mac and cheese and toast and beans to school children anymore in the state of Maine. Hundreds 172,000 kids were going to go without school lunch because of her interpretation of Title IX. Well, jeez. I said, That's not right. So we filed suit on a Friday afternoon. Briefs were due on Wednesday. By Friday, the next Friday, The federal judge, who was a Republican appointee, issued a 70-page opinion giving us a temporary restraining order against the federal government. He said, Whatever your view of Title IX is, you can't stop funding for school lunch programs because of your interpretation a different law over here. He was absolutely right. They came to the table and said, Okay, we'll agree that we'll keep funding the school lunch program. I mean, it's astonishing what you have to fight for in this day and age. This administration has been a disaster for every basic thing like food and health care and climate issues and clean energy and so much. That's why I thought it over in the last few months and I thought, My senator, Susan Collins, has not been standing up to him. She has not shown the backbone that we need in the US Senate.

People have been urging me for months now, and I've thought it over and said, I got to do this thing. Because every day the news is worse and worse. It's like a roller coaster ride, and it's churning my stomach. I'm not the person who can sit idly by and let stuff like that happen. I'm a GSD person, get stuff done. That's why I want to go to the US Senate.

Governor, you served two terms in governor, two terms in AG, spent an entire life, really, in public service. That's what I was going to ask you. With all of that service, you could have just retired as a successful governor. What made you say, I want to run right now?

Well, it took me some time to think it over, and I kept waiting for something better to happen, to see things turn around a little bit, to see the Congress get some backbone, see the Congress step up to him. But then, Susan Collins was a pivotal vote in advancing the so-called Big Beautiful Bill just a short time ago. That bill is devastating to Maine people. It takes away health care for tens and tens of thousands of people in Maine and extends the tax credits for billionaires, but then takes food out of the mouths of children. How How do you do that? How do you live with that? Then she voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is taking away our public health infrastructure, who's threatening to take away vaccines, life-saving vaccines for children. I'm here trying to save all of that as governor of the state of Maine, working with Maura Healey and other governors of the Northeast Coalition to preserve our public health infrastructure and to preserve access to vaccines. So Everything that's going on in Washington is to the opposite effect. She voted for Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education. Linda McMahon, who's tearing apart the Department of Education and threatening public education all across this country.

Well, I'm fighting to fully fund, and I'm the first governor who has fully funded public education in Maine ever, and increasing improving scolastic achievement by our students. This is Linda McMahon, who appears to think that AI is a steak sauce. I think I saw her on TV on a panel. She said, Every child should have A1 from kindergarten on up. That was astonishing. There are a lot of votes I disagree with.

Governor Mills, I want to address a question that you know is going to come up in the campaign. People are going to say, Look, Governor Mills, she stood up to Trump. She was a successful governor, successful attorney general. But we've seen in the Democratic Party a need for younger leadership. I say this with utmost respect for the work you've done at the governor, but you know you're going to get asked this question, What do you say to people who say what we really need now in the Democratic Party is younger leadership? While Governor Mills has been a great governor, she's 77 years old, and we need younger leadership. What's your response to people who say that?

It's a fair point, and it's a legitimate consideration. God knows it's a consideration for me and has been these many months I've been thinking about it, and people have been urging me to run regardless of my age. But you know what? I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't do everything I can to reverse what's going on in Washington, things that are harming Maine people. Sure, I could go. I'm not a rich person by any means, but I could just retire, go to my camp and fish and read books for the rest of my life, I guess. But, boy, I couldn't live with myself if I did that. Not when the times are so urgent, so dangerous, and things are happening that are threatening the health and welfare of Maine people every day. I can't live with that. I have the energy and the time, and I want to give it my best shot, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm not untested. We've run people against Susan Collins before, and I know there are five or six guys in the race right now in this primary. Every one of them, I would say I'd enjoy having a beer with them, but they're untested.

I've lived and run and won two statewide elections in recent years. I know the state like the back of my hand. I love this state, and I love the people of the state of Maine, and I want to do the best I can. Right now, this moment calls for leadership, and it calls for experience. That's what I offer the voters. That's what I will offer the US Senate. We've got to change things around. Every day, I talk to people and they're saying, My God, the price of groceries has gone up tremendously. I go to the store and I see the price of bread and milk and things going up, price cars and trucks and construction materials, in good part because of this roller coaster ride that Trump has put our economy on, the whipsawing tariffs that are really taxes, taxes on Maine and US people, consumers, and the rise of inflation, the crazy, today it's a tariff on China. Tomorrow, it's a tariff on South Korea. Tomorrow, it's another tariff. It's crazy stuff. It's Irrational. My friends have said to me, You sure you want to do this? And I say, I've got to, and yes, I will.

I've got to do it for the main people, the people of this country.

I think one of the questions that people may have as a follow-up, in which I would have is, would you be willing to confirm that you would only be serving one term if you were to be elected?

I would only serve one term. That's a realistic expectation, and I would certainly agree with.

Another question. You mentioned some of the other candidates who you said that you'd probably like to have a beer with them. One person who's been exciting a lot of individuals in the state is someone by the name of Graham Platner. He posted about in 72 hours, has done five town halls, 600 people in Belfast, 650 people in Brewer. It seems to be exciting a younger generation of voters. So you know when you step into this race, there's going to be debates against him, and you're stepping into a race that... So what's your response to what you're seeing there with someone like Graham? And how do you see yourself in that race versus Graham Platner?

Well, it's not me versus Graham Platner. There is such energy out there. I see it and I feel it every day when I walk down main streets of towns and cities across the state. I feel this anger and this anxiety. People come out in droves for no king's protests all over this state like they do all over the country. There's that hunger for leadership, and I aim to address that by offering my candidacy. Look, we've run people against Susan Collins before, and she has won. She won handily the last few times. She won because we ran people who were untested. I don't know much of anything about Grand Platner. I know a couple of the other guys who were running. One of them is a brewer. That's one reason I said I'd have a beer with them. But listen, I'm the only one in the race who's actually won an election, and that's important to have that under your belt. I'm the only one in the race who's actually delivered progress for Maine people, expanding health care to 100,000 people in the state, fully funding education, providing free school meals in all the public schools, providing free community college, two years of community college for all recent high school grads, signing into law paid family medical leave, helping draft it and sign it into law.

These are huge things, and it's taken a lot of work, a lot of effort, and I have that experience. I'm the only one in the race who has stood up to Donald Trump. Therefore, I think my candidacy is far different than anybody else's.

I think his name is Dan Klee, Ben, who I had on as well, who's in the as well, and we would grab a beer with him. Before we go, though, your big day for you announcing the Senate race. I mean, what you've accomplished as the governor, again, speaks for yourself, and I thought that was a particularly good moment. Where can people learn more about the campaign and what's the final message you have to everybody out there watching?

Gosh, we need to turn things around in Washington. I have stood up to bullies all my life, as my father father taught me to do. I have stood up for women and men in Maine and across this country. I've worked my tail off for reproductive rights for women, which have now been reversed by the Supreme Court because of the votes that Susan Collins took to confirm Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. I'm ready to stand up for women and men in this state and to continue delivering progress for the people of my state and to continue working to save democracy, fundamentally to preserve our democracy and save it from the tyranny that's growing in the White House right now. We can't put up with this. We've got to stand up for it, stand up against it. I'm ready, willing, and able to stand up to Donald Trump.

Governor Janet Mills, thanks for joining us. We appreciate you.

Thank you.

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