It’s not exactly a secret that Donald Trump has made transgender Americans one of his favorite political targets, but the degree to which the president is leaning into this ugly campaign is increasingly stunning.
At a White House event for the National Governors Association, for example, the Republican apparently thought it’d be a good idea to claim that there were two female boxers in the 2024 Olympics who were transgender. As he really ought to know by now, this was not true, though there was little to suggest that he cared.
But as The Hill reported, that’s not all he said at the event.
President Trump and Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills briefly quarreled Friday at a National Governors Association session at the White House after Trump told a meeting of Republican governors he would withhold federal funding from the state over its refusal to comply with an executive order on transgender athletes.
Unprompted, the president referenced his recent executive order on transgender student-athletes and said that he had learned that Maine intended to ignore his directive. He then asked if Maine’s governor was in the room.
Gov. Mills: I’ll comply with the state and federal laws Trump: We are the federal law. You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funds. Gov Mills: See you in court
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-02-21T19:02:55.541Z
When Mills spoke up, he asked her directly whether her state would comply with his demands. The two-term Democratic governor — who also served as Maine’s attorney general for several years — told the president she would comply with state and federal laws.
Trump replied, “Well, we are the federal law.”
The Republican then said, “You better do it, you better do it,” adding that he’s prepared to cut off federal funding for Maine’s public schools.
“See you in court,” the governor replied.
It was a fascinating exchange, in part because the president seemed to think he could bully Mills into submission, and in part because the back-and-forth offered a timely reminder about just how preoccupied Trump is with student-athletes’ gender identity. (One can only wonder when he’ll take a comparable interest in keeping his campaign promises about lowering prices and addressing consumer costs.)
But of particular interest was his “we are the federal law” declaration. To be sure, Trump isn’t a lawyer, and he has never demonstrated even a rudimentary understanding of the limits of presidential authority. Whether he understands this or not, executive orders tend to be glorified press releases, not federal statutes.
Trump is free to sign these directives — though he assured voters he wouldn’t — but that doesn’t make them federal laws.
What’s more, the president’s “we are the federal law” assertion came just two days after Trump described himself as a “king,” which came just four days after the Republican similarly declared, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
Can a “L’etat c’est moi” claim be far behind?
