As a retired middle school administrator and a veteran of more than 30 years, working with adolescents, I watched the Feb. 21 interaction between our president of the United States and our governor, Janet Mills, with a mix of nostalgia and shock.

Nostalgia because I truly enjoyed working with these young adolescents as they struggled to learn about themselves, develop their personalities and begin to create a life as productive citizens of the United States. Shock because our 78-year-old president couldn’t help himself in trying to cut Gov. Mills as deeply and as hurtfully as he could muster, which he failed at quite miserably.

Unfortunately for Mr. Trump, his retort to Gov. Mills sounded so like the retorts of middle school-aged adolescents I heard during my years of working with them, very hollow and replete with inaccuracies.

Just for the record, of the almost 832,000 votes cast in 2024 in Maine, Trump received 45.5% (377,000), not exactly a landslide! And, of course he had to throw in the slam about hoping Mills has a good life after she leaves office because she’ll “never get elected again.”

If ever Mills needed an impetus to run against Sen. Collins, Trump just gave it to her.

I know it is a lot to ask, but can our president at least try to sound like an adult some time?

Bob Riley, Saco