Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement today ahead of the President’s scheduled visit tomorrow:
“I am proud of the extraordinary Maine companies, like Puritan Medical Products, who have adapted to meet the unprecedented challenges of this pandemic and whose work is saving lives. They are worthy of our praise and to them I am grateful.
“As the individual responsible for the health and safety of Maine people, including those who support and do not support the President, I again ask the President to check his inflammatory rhetoric at the door and abandon the divisive language that sows seeds of distrust among our people. I hope he will heed this call and appeal to the best in all people and lead us with courage and compassion through this difficult time.
“I also urge all Maine people who are gathering tomorrow – whether to rally to support or to protest opposition – to exercise that fundamental right with respect and do so safely amid this deadly pandemic. Let us all remember during this time of high tension that, regardless of our various and differing political beliefs, we are all members of this Maine family. We all love our country, we all love our state, and we all want the best for both.
“I am also hopeful that the President during his roundtable will hear the concerns of our commercial fishing industry, a vital part of our economy that is hurting right now. I am especially hopeful that he will address the impact that harmful Federal trade policies have had on them over the course of the past several years and pledge support for greater Federal financial assistance to aid them. That would be welcomed and helpful.
“While the President is in Guilford tomorrow, I will be doing my job, as I do every day, striving to protect the health and wellbeing of Maine people amid this pandemic, examining how we can chart a course to economic recovery, and doing all I can to guide Maine through this difficult time.”