Maine Governor Janet Mills Attends White House Meeting After Initially Declining

Maine Governor Janet Mills ultimately attended a meeting of the nation’s governors at the White House with President Donald Trump on February 20, 2026, after initially stating she would not attend. The shift came after a dispute over which governors would be invited to the annual National Governors Association (NGA) event.

Initial Boycott and White House Response

Governor Mills initially announced her decision to boycott the meeting, joining a number of other Democratic governors protesting President Trump’s initial decision to exclude Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the NGA vice chair, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis from the event. The White House later reversed course and extended invitations to all governors, with the exception of Moore and Polis.

NGA Involvement and Event Cancellation

The National Governors Association subsequently withdrew its facilitation of the meeting in response to the altered guest list. Despite this, President Trump proceeded with the event, and Governor Mills ultimately decided to participate, stating she did not want to miss the opportunity to advocate for Maine’s interests.

Past Interactions with President Trump

This is not the first instance of a public disagreement between Governor Mills and President Trump. At a previous event at the White House, Governor Mills reportedly told President Trump, “see you in court” following his administration’s threats to withhold federal funding over Maine’s policies regarding transgender athletes in sports. WGME

Governor Mills’ Background

Janet Trafton Mills, born December 30, 1947, has served as the 75th Governor of Maine since 2019. Prior to becoming governor, she served four nonconsecutive two-year terms as Maine Attorney General, from 2009 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Wikipedia

Statement from Governor Mills

In a statement, Governor Mills explained her initial decision to skip the event, characterizing it as “an unproductive vanity project for the President.” WMTW But, she ultimately decided to attend to directly address essential issues facing Maine.