Gov. Janet Mills in her State House office. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Gov. Janet Mills has spent the better part of her career taking on tough guys, whether it was as a prosecutor, as an attorney general clashing with hard-charging former Gov. Paul LePage or as governor pushing back against President Donald Trump during his first term in office.

And after four years of smooth sailing with a like-minded Democratic president in Joe Biden, Mills is girding for rough seas again.

But don’t expect her to jump in front of television cameras and declare herself as part of the Trump resistance like some of her Democratic colleagues, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom or Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.

Instead, Mills says she is taking a wait-and-see approach, at least for now.

“If (Trump) proposes something that I think will benefit the people of Maine, then I will support it,” Mills said. “If he proposes something that I think will be deleterious to the people of the state of Maine, I will oppose it. It’s as simple as that.”

Mills sat with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram for a 30-minute interview in her office last week to discuss her approach to the Trump presidency, her final two years in office and her political future, including whether she’s considering running for U.S. Senate in 2026.

Mills would not rule out challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins in two years, but she emphasized that she is focused on her final two years as governor. She said her two terms as Maine’s top executive have been “the highlight of my life.”

Her tenure has been challenged by a global pandemic, a mass shooting and destructive storms that have tested the resolve of Mainers. But she has also seen successes in rebuilding the state’s public health program, providing more aid to municipalities and public schools, expanding MaineCare and investing in renewable energy initiatives, including heat pumps. And the state’s “rainy day” fund is flush with money.

“The people of Maine, and the Legislature and my Cabinet and I have been through interesting times – ups and downs – and will continue to try to solve problems and create progress with good common sense, courage and creativity,” Mills said.

Gov. Janet Mills talks about Donald Trump’s election to a second term, and her top priorities for her final two years in office. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Mills has promised to begin her final two years by proposing a lean budget, a recognition that state revenues are leveling off after a series of budget surpluses fueled by pandemic-era federal relief programs, increased wages and strong consumer spending.

The Maine Constitution requires a balanced budget, so Mills said her primary objective is not to fund new programs or initiatives, but to continue supporting those already in place, including public education and health care funding, and to lower household costs for residents.

Democrats have controlled the Legislature since she took office in 2019. Her party held their majorities in both chambers last month, though with smaller margins because Republicans picked up seats.

In her first six years, Mills has been a moderating force in her party, tamping down or blocking new spending initiatives from fellow Democrats.

While some critics have predicted she would capitulate to her progressive wing in her final term, Nicholas Jacobs, an assistant professor of government at Colby College, doesn’t expect that to happen.

“(Mills) is a consistent governor,” Jacobs said. “I don’t think she’s going to let a Democratic Legislature run roughshod over her view that Maine, in comparison to the rest of New England, is in a little bit more of a financially precarious position.”

Trump had a decisive victory last month, winning the Electoral College and the national popular vote, though falling short of 50%. On election night, he claimed “an unprecedented and powerful mandate” to slash federal spending, conduct mass deportations of 11 million immigrants here illegally and use tariffs against Mexico and Canada to secure the border and against China to stem the flow of fentanyl.

Since then, Trump has moved to fill his cabinet with loyalists and immigration hardliners and tasked two billionaires with slashing government spending and the federal workforce. On Tuesday, Trump went on social media to suggest 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on goods from China.

Gov. Janet Mills laughs during a wide-ranging interview with the Portland Press Herald. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Critics warn that a second Trump presidency could be even more aggressive and effective than the first since there are fewer Republicans willing to stand up to him.

“They say this is going to be different, but we don’t know how,” Mills said. “We don’t know what specific measures he’s going to propose. There’s an awful lot of talk, generalisms and talk on behalf of the people who are around him. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen until we see it.”

Other Democratic governors, including Pritzker and Jared Polis of Colorado, have organized a bipartisan group of governors to push back against Trump and the “threat of autocracy,” according to Politico. Discussions among 20 or so governors have been taking place for months and the group may hire its own research staff, according to the New York Times.

Healey said Massachusetts state police would not help Trump deport immigrants. And Newsom called an emergency session of the California Legislature to Trump-proof some of the state’s progressive policies, including those dealing with climate change.

Mills said she is not aligned with or a member of any formal group, though she has been speaking with both Democratic and Republican governors about how to proceed in a second Trump term.

“What most of us have agreed to do, both Republicans and Democrats is to share information and ideas about how we can best protect the people of our respective states,” she said. “(Pritzker) has ideas about how best to protect the people of Illinois from any particular action. Gavin Newsom has his particular ideas about California’s relationship with the president-elect. They may or may not be the same as my concerns on any given issue.”

Jacobs, the Colby professor, said he’s not surprised by Mills’ approach, saying she’s a “pragmatist.” She knows that it will take a lot of resources to take on the federal government in court, he said, and there are too many unanswered questions about what Trump will actually propose and what he will be able to get through Congress.

Jacobs said the incoming administration is also looking at some “crafty and perhaps unconstitutional ways” to punish states and cities that try to block his immigration agenda, and Maine is more reliant on federal funding than other states.

“I think Mills sees that it may not be in Maine’s best interest to just stake out a symbolic fight well in advance of any firm policy decision made by the Trump administration,” Jacobs said. “She’s not wrong to think that there are certain parts of Trump’s agenda that might shake out on the positive side for Maine.”

Mills made numerous campaign appearances around the state for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. And their campaign messaging was not unlike Mills’ 2022 reelection message, including vows of “we’re not going back,” highlighting the threat Republicans pose to reproductive freedom and touting her support from moderate Republicans.

It helped win Harris three of Maine’s four votes in the Electoral College, but that message didn’t resonate with voters nationwide.

Gov. Janet Mills talks about Donald Trump’s election to a second term, and her top priorities for her final two years in office. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Mills said she believes Harris’ economic message did not get “enough robust attention” during the campaign, which contributed to her defeat.

“I think the economy is and was foremost on people’s minds as they went to the ballot box,” Mills said. “The next president needs to be acutely aware of the effect any of his actions will have on the economy and on the pocketbook issues that face a majority of the American people. That means the cost of health care, higher education and the cost of consumer goods. And so we’ll see what specific measures he proposes and what specific measures the new Congress approves or opposes.”

Two prominent areas eyed by Trump – tariffs and mass deportations – are raising red flags for Mills.

While Maine has not seen as many asylum seekers as larger cities, thousands have come to the state in recent years, straining limited resources in local communities, including affordable housing, emergency shelters and general assistance to prevent people and families from starving or freezing on the streets.

Maine leaders have been working to build systems to integrate new immigrants into the community and economy. The state worked with a Portland nonprofit to build a 179-bed shelter for asylum seekers with in-house services and gave them priority in several new housing developments. The Mills administration also established an Office of New Americans to help coordinate services for asylum seekers statewide.

Maine’s congressional leaders, including Collins, U.S. Sen. Angus King and Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, have proposed bills that would allow asylum seekers with credible claims to receive work permits within 30 days of filing their application, rather than waiting at least six months. That effort has received the backing of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and local affiliates, including those in Maine, to fill workforce shortages in industries ranging from tourism to agriculture to health care.

“I will say there are thousands of people of goodwill who have come to this state seeking work and a better future and who are right now contributing to our economy,” Mills said. “Those with work permits or work visas are working in retail and food production and construction and transportation and health care, and if they were to have to leave the state or leave this country, the Maine economy would suffer. And it’s important to recognize that.”

She said it was “premature” to talk about whether she would allow state police to help the administration deport immigrants.

Mills also expressed concerns about tariffs, which could increase the cost of building supplies during an affordable housing shortage and the cost of consumer goods as residents are already struggling under the weight of inflation and high prices. Trump’s plans could have “a significant impact on Maine people.”

“Tariffs do not add to the federal government’s income and revenues – it only adds to the consumer’s costs,” she said. “Tariffs generally on imports from those countries – Canada, Mexico and China – would have a serious effect on the price of building supplies, automobiles, auto parts, trucks, clothing, some foods, and consumer goods, semiconductors and electronics. All of those things would see price hikes, I’m pretty confident.”

Mills noted that during Trump’s first term in office, China’s retaliatory tariffs of 25% and eventually 30% hurt Maine lobstermen by shifting demand to Canada.

The federal government provided Maine lobstermen with a $50 million bailout to help offset the impacts of the previous trade war with China. But others who were arguably more impacted by the trade war – lobster dealers and processors, who were also hit with tariffs by the European Union – were excluded from the federal bailout.

“Naturally, there were retaliatory tariffs by other countries, including China,” she said. “Our lobster industry, our lobster fishermen, suffered because of those tariffs, so I wouldn’t want to see that happen again.”