Former President Trump: 'I'm finished with this stiff' DeWine after veto of House Bill 68

Former President Donald Trump criticized Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Saturday for striking down legislation that would have restricted the medical care of transgender minors and banned transgender girls from female sports.

"DeWine has fallen to the Radical Left. No wonder he gets loudly booed in Ohio every time I introduce him at Rallies, but I won’t be introducing him any more. I’m finished with this 'stiff.' What was he thinking," Trump posted on Truth Social. "The bill would have stopped child mutilation, and prevented men from playing in women’s sports. Legislature will hopefully overturn. Do it FAST!!!”

More: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes House Bill 68 on transgender medical care, sports

House Bill 68, which cleared the House and Senate earlier this month, would have prevented doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. It also would have prohibited transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams in high school and college.

DeWine's office declined to comment on Trump's statement.

On Friday, DeWine vetoed the bill and said his administration will draft rules to ban surgery for patients under 18, collect data on transgender medical care for adults and children, and restrict pop-up clinics that don't provide adequate mental health counseling.

More: Mike DeWine is being called 'child mutilator.' Veto of unholy bill shows that's far from true

“Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government knows better what is medically best for a child than the two people who love that child the most: their parents," DeWine said.

Top lawmakers hint at veto override

Proponents of House Bill 68, including close allies of Trump in Ohio, immediately panned DeWine's veto and called on the Legislature to override it. They contend DeWine's administrative actions don't go far enough.

"There are many things the law rightfully says no one, including parents, may do to children," U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This slogan also ignores the extraordinary pressure from interest groups and big pharma to green light poorly understood, irreversible procedures."

Ohio's Republican legislative leaders said Friday that they will discuss next steps. Lawmakers have until the end of 2024 to override DeWine's veto, which requires a supermajority in both the House and Senate. Since the bill was House legislation, that chamber would need to act first.

"The bill sponsors, and the House, have dedicated nearly three years to get the bill right − to empower parents and protect children," House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, said in a statement. "It was passed by veto-proof majorities in each chamber. We will certainly discuss as a caucus and take the appropriate next steps."

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, suggested Senate Republicans would support an override if the House takes action.

"I'm extremely disappointed by the Governor's veto,” he said. “Changes were made to the bill to accommodate his concerns, and the bill was strongly supported in the Senate by the Republican Caucus. … We look forward to the House taking the next step."

Trump, DeWine supported each other in past races

DeWine backed both of Trump's presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020. Trump endorsed DeWine in both of his races for governor in 2018 and 2022.

"Mike DeWine and Jon Husted truly deserve my Complete and Total Endorsement, AND THEY’VE GOT IT − they will never let you down!" Trump wrote in a statement in September 2022.

The last time DeWine and Trump shared a stage was right before Election Day in 2022, when Trump came to Ohio to campaign for Vance in his run for the U.S. Senate.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Donald Trump criticizes Gov. Mike DeWine over House Bill 68 veto