BANGOR, Maine (AP) 鈥 Republican Donald Trump mixed up Democratic Gov. Janet Mills鈥 gender on a phone call with supporters in Maine, The Bangor Daily News reported Tuesday.
The newspaper obtained a recording of the call in which Trump attacked Mills on immigration, saying the governor is going to turn Maine into a 鈥渢hird world鈥 country. Trump was trying to energize voters on Monday, the first day of early voting in the state.
Trump referred to the state鈥檚 first female governor as 鈥渉e" several times while accusing her of seeking to 鈥渞esettle 75,000 migrants鈥 at the behest of the Biden administration. 鈥淗e鈥檚 weak and ineffective, and they told him to do so, and he鈥檚 saying, 鈥榊es, sir. Yes, ma鈥檃m. I will do it,鈥欌 Trump said, referring to Mills, who's serving a second term.
Conservatives have conflated a 2019 economic plan that calls for by 75,000 with a separate Office of New Americans created by the governor last year, portraying her as only seeking foreign-born people.
Mills referred to Trump鈥檚 opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris, in a brief retort on X: 鈥淗e better get used to recognizing women. He鈥檚 about to get beat by one.鈥
There was no immediate response from the Trump campaign.
Maine is important to Trump. The state is one of two that divide electoral votes by congressional district, and Trump won a single electoral vote in 2016 and 2020 in the state's 2nd Congressional District.
Trump also merged two different parts of the Gulf of Maine 鈥 a 277-square-mile (717-square-kilometer) contested 鈥済ray zone鈥 near Canada and a national marine monument comprising 5,000 square miles (12,910 square kilometers) that he opened to lobstering while president. The "gray zone鈥 is subject of a long-running territorial dispute while the national marine monument is far offshore 鈥 too far for most lobster fishermen to utilize.
鈥淭he 好色tvs are able to fish there, but the Americans aren鈥檛. We鈥檙e going to open it up,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to have Maine lobster and you鈥檙e going to have it right near you. Think of it, 5,000 square miles.鈥
