Democratic Gov. Janet Mills speaks at the launch of Women for Biden-Harris in Maine on July 18. (Photo by Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star)
In a call to Maine supporters Monday evening, former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeatedly referred to Maine Gov. Janet Mills as the wrong gender and made several false policy statements, echoing some mischaracterizations initially voiced by Maine Republicans earlier this year.
In a recording of the “tele-rally” call provided to the Bangor Daily News by someone who opted into it, Trump criticized Mills, a Democrat, and referred to her as “he” and “him.”
“He better get used to recognizing women,” Mills wrote in response on X. “He’s about to get beat by one.”
Trump also made several false policy statements throughout the call, including claiming that Mills wants to resettle 75,000 migrants in the state.
“He wants to resettle 75,000 migrants into Maine,” Trump said, referring to Mills. “That’s only because [President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee] told him to do so.”
This false statement appears to stem from Maine’s 10-year economic strategy, which was released in 2019. One of its stated goals is to attract 75,000 people to Maine’s talent pool by 2029 to combat the state’s shrinking workforce and aging population.
Earlier this year, Republicans in the Maine Legislature similarly mischaracterized the goal to attract workers as a plan to exclusively attract immigrants, which they claimed in their opposition to establishing an Office of New Americans.
The office and funding for its staff became available on Aug. 9, when the supplemental state budget took effect. It will provide state-level coordination of resources to help immigrants apply for work legally and become employed as quickly as possible, such as through English language instruction and accelerated certification pathways.
Mills’ spokesperson Ben Goodman reiterated in a statement shared Wednesday that some have misleadingly conflated the state’s economic strategy goal with the administration’s work to assist immigrants as they integrate into Maine’s workforce and communities.
“Last year’s press release announcing initial steps toward establishing an Office of New Americans was deliberate in its reference to the goal established in the state’s economic strategy, stating: ‘New Mainers are important to addressing this shortage of workers, and attracting new workers is a priority for Maine’s economic future, with the State’s 10-year Economic Strategy setting a target of attracting 75,000 new workers by 2029,’” Goodman wrote.
Trump also appeared to conflate other issues on the call.
During his former presidency, Trump signed an executive order to open the nation’s only national monument in the Atlantic Ocean to commercial fishing, a 5,000-square-mile area located off the Gulf of Maine. On the call on Monday, according to the Bangor Daily News, Trump seemed to mix up this area and what is referred to as the “gray zone,” a 277-square mile stretch located along the state’s contested maritime border with Canada.
“The Canadians are able to fish there, but the Americans aren’t,” Trump said. “We’re going to open it up. You’re going to have Maine lobster and you’re going to have it right near you. Think of it, 5,000 square miles.”
Overall, the claim about Canadians illegally fishing in Maine territory appears to be gleaned from a claim made earlier by Republican Maine legislator Austin Theriault, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. In a campaign ad, Theriault claims, “Washington politicians allow Canada to illegally lobster in our waters.”
Trump also used the call to voice his support for Theriault, who he endorsed for the 2nd District race.
Neither Theriault nor Trump referenced the long-standing territorial disputes in this area when making those claims. During a debate between Theriault and Golden last week, Theriault said if elected he would ask for a meeting with the next administration to fix the disputed maritime border.
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to Maine Morning Star’s request for comment before publication.
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