Trump calls Maine’s Democratic governor a ‘dictator’ for not opening for summer tourist season

President Trump called Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills a ‘dictator’ less than an hour into his trip to the state, complaining that she should be reopening the state faster amid as the coronavirus threat lessens.

‘Why is she not opening up your state?’ Trump asked attendees of a roundtable on commercial fishing at an airport hangar in Bangor. ‘She’s like a dictator,’ he uttered.  

Trump had been met by the state’s former Republican Gov. Paul LePage who explained that Mills was afraid legions of tourists would bring coronavirus in. 

‘The problem is these three months are like your Christmas,’ Trump said. 

Trump and Mills have been at odds for days over his trip to the state. She said in a statement Thursday that she wanted him to ‘check his inflammatory rhetoric at the door,’ as protests have broken out all across the country over the death of George Floyd. 

At the event with fishermen, Trump said Mills was ‘playing cute’ and that he was ‘not a fan.’     

He also floated the idea of having a trade war with the European Union over Maine lobster. ‘If the European Union doesn’t drop that tariff immediately, ‘we’re going to put a tariff on their cars, which would be equivalent,’ Trump told the fishermen. ‘It’ll be equivalent, plus,’ he continued, adding several additional plusses for enunciation.      

President Trump called Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills a ‘dictator’ for not opening her state up fast enough as the threat of coronavirus lessens 

President Trump's first event in Maine Friday was a roundtable with commercial fishermen. He blasted Democratic Gov. Janet Mills for potentially ruining the state's summer tourism season

President Trump’s first event in Maine Friday was a roundtable with commercial fishermen. He blasted Democratic Gov. Janet Mills for potentially ruining the state’s summer tourism season 

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills asked President Trump on Thursday to 'check his inflammatory rhetoric at the door' after telling him Monday on the phone that his travel to her state would cause 'security problems'

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills asked President Trump on Thursday to ‘check his inflammatory rhetoric at the door’ after telling him Monday on the phone that his travel to her state would cause ‘security problems’ 

Sen. Susan Collins, the only Republican member of Congress from Maine, decided to stay in D.C. and not travel with President Trump. She faces a tough re-election fight against Democrat Sara Gideon in November

Sen. Susan Collins, the only Republican member of Congress from Maine, decided to stay in D.C. and not travel with President Trump. She faces a tough re-election fight against Democrat Sara Gideon in November 

Protesters gathered in Augusta, Maine in mid-May to protest Democratic Gov. Janet Mills' stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus crisis. Demonstrators both for and against President Trump are expected out in Maine Friday

Protesters gathered in Augusta, Maine in mid-May to protest Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus crisis. Demonstrators both for and against President Trump are expected out in Maine Friday 

After his roundtable in Bangor, the president will take Marine One to Guilford, where he’ll tour the headquarters of Puritan Medical Products, which used $75.7 million under the Defense Production Act to produce swabs for COVID-19 testing. 

The president is expected to be met with protests – that have taken place all over the country after Floyd’s Memorial Day death at the hands of a white cop. 

His first stop was at the Bangor airport so no members of the public were permitted.  

The state’s Republican Sen. Susan Collins will not be with Trump on the trip. She’s the only GOP member of Congress currently representing the state. 

Collins told Maine Public Radio she’ll be staying in Washington and holding a virtual fundraiser with Sen. John Thune Friday afternoon. 

Collins, one of the Senate’s most moderate Republicans, is facing a tough re-election fight, vying to keep her seat against Democrat Sara Gideon. The last poll, which was taken back in early March, showed Gideon slightly ahead by 4 points. 

Trump performed well for a Republican in Maine in 2016, winning the state’s 2nd Congressional earning him one electoral vote. He was the first Republican nominee to do so since George H.W. Bush in 1988. 

But Collins’ decision to not appear with him publicly showcases the fears moderate Senate Republicans facing re-election have, especially in light of Trump’s controversial moves this week. 

The president was widely criticized for his decision to walk across Lafayette park Monday night and pose with a Bible in front of St. John’s chuch just minutes after a peaceful protest was dispersed by police using force.  

But even before Trump made that move, he was at odds with Mills, who was on the president’s call with governors earlier Monday.  

She told the president that if he came to her state he would cause ‘security problems.’    

The president responded by telling Mills the White House would ‘look into that,’ adding that he would bring out ‘a tremendous crowd’ in the Democrat’s state.

‘She tried to talk me out of it. Now I think she probably talked me into it,’ the president said on the call. 

On Thursday, Mills issued a public warning to Trump. 

‘As the individual responsible for the health and safety of Maine people, including those who support and do not support the president, I again ask the president to check his inflammatory rhetoric at the door and abandon the divisive language that sows seeds of distrust among our people,’ she said in a statement. 

‘I hope he will heed this call and appeal to the best in all people and lead us with courage and compassion through this difficult time,’ the governor added.  

She then urged demonstrators ‘to exercise that fundamental right with respect and do so safely amid this deadly pandemic.’  

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden slammed Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis in a Friday morning statement geared at the president’s Maine trip. 

‘He’s now hoping we buy his revisionist history on his Administration’s incompetent and bungled response to this public health crisis,’ Biden said. ‘It’s a response that contributed to the deaths of 95 Mainers and has forced 168,000 Mainers to file for unemployment.’  

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