Maine Gov. Janet Mills speaks to President Donald Trump as Trump delivered remarks during a governors working session in the State Dining Room at the White House on Friday. Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images
It didn’t take long for Gov. Janet Mills to start trending on social media last week.
As video of her heated exchange with President Donald Trump — including her “See you in court” comment — made headlines on Friday, supporters flocked to social media. In the days since, memes and other posts about her confrontation with the president over Maine’s transgender sports policy went viral, catapulting the governor to folk hero status among those who disagree with the president.
It came as no surprise to Chris O’Connor, executive director of the Equality Community Center in Portland, that people took to social media to share in the moment.
“People are looking for those messages of hope and inspiration,” he said. “When we talk about resistance and what resistance looks like, this moment of the governor standing up is very, very powerful.”
The confrontation at the White House was captured on video and posted to social media by multiple media outlets. In his remarks, Trump brought up his executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, and called out Mills, threatening to withhold federal funding to the state. In response, she said, “We’ll see you in court.”
Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would investigate Maine and the Cumberland-North Yarmouth school district.
GOING VIRAL
Sulafa Zidani, an assistant professor of communications at Northwestern University who teaches a course on media virality, said some posts go viral for a variety of reasons. Catchy phrases — like “see you in court” — are one reason, as are messages that resonate with people. Social media algorithms also promote content that is simple, catchy or controversial, creating virality.
When it comes to Mills’ exchange with Trump, all three apply.
“The fact that she decided to confront (Trump) in that way resonated with so many people. I think people appreciated that and started to reshare that quote,” Zidani said. “That act says that she is willing to go to bat for a community of people that are currently suffering from this type of legislation.”
On the social media accounts of the Equality Community Center, a collaborative workspace for LBGTQ+ and allied nonprofit organizations, O’Connor posted a photo of Mills wearing a Wonder Woman t-shirt while holding up a light saber. “Thank you Governor Mills! #seeyouincourt” was printed in large white letters above the image.
View this post on Instagram
The hashtag #seeyouincourt began trending over the weekend, with social media users posting images of Mills, including a meme with photos of the governor and Trump that read “Dear Lawmakers, In a world full of Donald Trumps be a Janet Mills.”
On Bluesky, the Mad Hamster account shared two memes featuring Maine flags and a hamster in a lobster boat. One said “I stand with Maine,” while the other read, “In a nation full of Trumps, be a State of Maine.”
— MAD HAMSTER ? (@eckfactory.bsky.social) February 23, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Even Maine author Stephen King, who had returned to X only one day earlier, posted about Mills’ comment.
“Makes me proud to be a Maine man,” he wrote. “Thank you, Governor, for standing up to the bully.”
SOCIAL CONNECTION
Not all of the posts about Mills were supportive. On Facebook and X, people shared calls for her to be removed from office, accused her of violating federal law, questioned her gender identity and said she does not speak for all Mainers.
But those were outnumbered by posts praising her stance as brave.
Some of the most widely shared posts about Mills include memes, often used as a way to give voice to those who feel powerless, said Rebecca Ortiz, an associate professor at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communication who studies political memes. They can also make people feel less alone, she said.
“Memes become this way of signaling to others like you that you get the joke, that you get the reference, that you get the cultural moment,” she said.
Some viral memes — like Sen. Bernie Sanders and his mittens at the 2021 presidential inauguration — have staying power and are reused with a variety of messages, while others don’t have much longevity, Ortiz said. Whether any memes of Mills and Trump have that kind of longevity remains to be seen, but Ortiz said they do center on a high-profile, highly contentious issue.
“It won’t be the last time we hear about issues related to transgender policies,” she said.
O’Connor, from the Equality Community Center, didn’t necessarily intend to create a viral moment when he created the post about Mills.
Hope Rovelto of Little Chair Printing makes “see you in court” shirts and #protectransyouth on the back. Proceeds of the sales of the shirts will go to Maine Trans Net’s youth programs. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
He was in his office watching the news on Friday night and decided it was important to show support and appreciation to the governor. He chose a photo of Mills taken at Equality Maine’s 2018 Great Pumpkin Ball, where she wore the Wonder Woman T-shirt and cape as a costume.
“It’s symbolic of her strength as Maine’s first female governor and also the strength it takes to stand up when being bullied by the president of the United States,” he said.
O’Connor said trans kids are being “relentlessly bullied” on the national and state level, and Mills “standing up for them exudes the qualities of a superhero. There aren’t a lot of people standing up for these kids right now.”
O’Connor didn’t expect his Instagram post to take off, but is heartened that so many people wanted to amplify the message and show support for trans youth.
The center hopes to harness that momentum by teaming up with Little Chair Printing to sell a t-shirt with the words “See you in court” inside an outline of the state of Maine on the front and #protecttransyouth on the back. The money raised from sales will go to MaineTrans Net’s work with trans and non-binary youth.
“It’s really easy to click like and to click share, but we can really turn this moment into a way to support trans youth in this state,” O’Connor said.
CORRECTION: This story was updated at 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, to correct the spelling of Chris O’Connor’s name.
Comments are not available on this story. about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
