Democratic Governors Balance Whether To Fight Or Pacify After Trump Threatens One Of Their Own

President Donald Trump's real-time confrontation with Maine's governor over transgender athletes captured the conundrum many Democratic governors are facing in the Republican's second term.

Gov. Janet Mills' vow that she would see Trump in court over his threat to withhold money from the state if it didn't comply with his executive order delighted Democrats who want more strident pushback. But the dust-up that played out in the open Friday as Trump hosted governors at the White House ticked off a president known to retaliate against people he considers enemies.

Hours after the spat, the federal Department of Education announced it was initiating an investigation into the Maine Department of Education over the inclusion of trans athletes. Trump doesn't want them playing in girls and women's sports Maine law bars discrimination based on gender identity.

"Any time a public interaction like that takes place, it's coming from a person who's grounded in their values," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in an interview Sunday. "I love Janet Mills and I appreciate her for standing up. I also know that there's always a cost that comes with that."

The Democrats who lead the nation's most populous states were in Washington for a meeting of the National Governors Association, where they tried to strike a balance between their states' needs and their feelings about Trump.