You don’t think they will come for you until they do. 

If you know me, you probably know that I am from the great state of Maine, and am not afraid to boast about it. 

We’re out of the way. We don’t bother people, and we don’t ask for much in return. I well and good know that most people can only name one place in my state: Acadia National Park. But nonetheless, the Trump administration went after us on Friday, February 21. 

This is just the latest step in the long line of Trump’s executive overreach. This effort began the second Trump took office for the second time, and, so far, have culminated in the most egregious offense of Trump declaring himself a king.

This sickens me. It has been nearly 250 years since America had a king and I will not see one return in my lifetime. 

Trump publicly and unprofessionally attacked Governor of Maine Janet Mills over her refusal to break the Maine Human Rights Act at a meeting of governors at the White House. This is a completely unprofessional move during an event which is normally quite formal. Not, however, outside of my expectations for the current administration. 

Trump is blatantly a hypocrite. He claims to want to shrink the federal government to allow for increased states’ rights, yet, when it comes to states’ rights, he bullies anyone who doesn’t follow his position. 

Trump has also launched a Department of Education investigation into both the Maine Principals’ Association and the Maine Department of Education over the same issue: Mills’ refusal to prohibit trans women from participating in women’s sports. 

Mills responded to this respectfully, telling Trump she’d “see him in court,” to which Trump responded with a thinly-veiled threat about using his influence to remove Mills as governor.  

You may ask me: why does this matter to me in Pennsylvania? Mills is not my governor, Josh Shapiro is.  

If you believe in something, defend it. Even if you’re not from Maine, you should care about Trump blatantly using federal funds and threats of political replacement to try to force states into line. This is a breach of our most basic democratic principles. 

Trump is no king, he is a servant of the people. He is the nation’s highest ranking temp worker, and he can be replaced. 

Stick your necks out for what you believe in or else there will be no one help when he comes for you. Encourage your elected officials to continue to act with courage, conviction and democracy in mind.