Liability or useful foil? Trump takes center stage in Susan Collins reelection fight
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is proving to be a double-edged sword for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), whose fight for a sixth term in the Senate will hinge on how well she manages her reputation of independence in Maine.
Democrats have spent months tying Collins, who announced her reelection campaign this week, to the White House, accusing her of enabling Trump’s agenda and not forcefully confronting the perceived abuses of his administration.
Collins, meanwhile, has faced withering criticism from Trump for breaking with him on tariffs, Medicaid, and more. Most recently, he called her a “disaster” who should be thrown out of office after she voted to rebuke his war powers in Venezuela.
Such is the fate of Collins, a perennial swing vote who has built her career rankling Republican presidents and frustrating Democrats who have tried, and failed, to oust her since the turn of the century. But Trump is supercharging that dynamic with his short fuse and demand for unwavering loyalty, presenting Collins with both a bigger foil and liability in her reelection campaign.
The two played nice in the Oval Office earlier this month, when Collins awkwardly stood away from the president as he signed a government funding bill she helped usher through Congress as the Senate’s top appropriator.
“I heard you’re doing good,” Trump told Collins, who clasped a MAGA-style hat emblazoned with “America is back.”
But their marriage of convenience remains the single most fraught aspect of her reelection campaign and could very well determine the trajectory of both their political careers, with Democrats’ path to the Senate majority running through Maine.
MAGA VS MODERATE FIGHT OVER SAVE ACT DIVIDES UTAH SENATORS
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a spending bill that ends a partial shutdown of the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Washington odd couple
Trump can single-handedly keep the 45% of Maine voters who supported him in 2024 home if he is too aggressive in voicing his displeasure with her votes. But that daylight is still necessary for Collins to win given he lost the state.
Legislatively, Collins needs cooperation from Trump to burnish one of her biggest selling points as a senator – that her seniority gives Maine outsize sway in Washington. But she can’t work with him too closely, or else she will be seen as the partner of an …
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is proving to be a double-edged sword for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), whose fight for a sixth term in the Senate will hinge on how well she manages her reputation of independence in Maine.
Democrats have spent months tying Collins, who announced her reelection campaign this week, to the White House, accusing her of enabling Trump’s agenda and not forcefully confronting the perceived abuses of his administration.
Collins, meanwhile, has faced withering criticism from Trump for breaking with him on tariffs, Medicaid, and more. Most recently, he called her a “disaster” who should be thrown out of office after she voted to rebuke his war powers in Venezuela.
Such is the fate of Collins, a perennial swing vote who has built her career rankling Republican presidents and frustrating Democrats who have tried, and failed, to oust her since the turn of the century. But Trump is supercharging that dynamic with his short fuse and demand for unwavering loyalty, presenting Collins with both a bigger foil and liability in her reelection campaign.
The two played nice in the Oval Office earlier this month, when Collins awkwardly stood away from the president as he signed a government funding bill she helped usher through Congress as the Senate’s top appropriator.
“I heard you’re doing good,” Trump told Collins, who clasped a MAGA-style hat emblazoned with “America is back.”
But their marriage of convenience remains the single most fraught aspect of her reelection campaign and could very well determine the trajectory of both their political careers, with Democrats’ path to the Senate majority running through Maine.
MAGA VS MODERATE FIGHT OVER SAVE ACT DIVIDES UTAH SENATORS
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a spending bill that ends a partial shutdown of the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Washington odd couple
Trump can single-handedly keep the 45% of Maine voters who supported him in 2024 home if he is too aggressive in voicing his displeasure with her votes. But that daylight is still necessary for Collins to win given he lost the state.
Legislatively, Collins needs cooperation from Trump to burnish one of her biggest selling points as a senator – that her seniority gives Maine outsize sway in Washington. But she can’t work with him too closely, or else she will be seen as the partner of an …
Liability or useful foil? Trump takes center stage in Susan Collins reelection fight
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is proving to be a double-edged sword for Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), whose fight for a sixth term in the Senate will hinge on how well she manages her reputation of independence in Maine.
Democrats have spent months tying Collins, who announced her reelection campaign this week, to the White House, accusing her of enabling Trump’s agenda and not forcefully confronting the perceived abuses of his administration.
Collins, meanwhile, has faced withering criticism from Trump for breaking with him on tariffs, Medicaid, and more. Most recently, he called her a “disaster” who should be thrown out of office after she voted to rebuke his war powers in Venezuela.
Such is the fate of Collins, a perennial swing vote who has built her career rankling Republican presidents and frustrating Democrats who have tried, and failed, to oust her since the turn of the century. But Trump is supercharging that dynamic with his short fuse and demand for unwavering loyalty, presenting Collins with both a bigger foil and liability in her reelection campaign.
The two played nice in the Oval Office earlier this month, when Collins awkwardly stood away from the president as he signed a government funding bill she helped usher through Congress as the Senate’s top appropriator.
“I heard you’re doing good,” Trump told Collins, who clasped a MAGA-style hat emblazoned with “America is back.”
But their marriage of convenience remains the single most fraught aspect of her reelection campaign and could very well determine the trajectory of both their political careers, with Democrats’ path to the Senate majority running through Maine.
MAGA VS MODERATE FIGHT OVER SAVE ACT DIVIDES UTAH SENATORS
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a spending bill that ends a partial shutdown of the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Washington odd couple
Trump can single-handedly keep the 45% of Maine voters who supported him in 2024 home if he is too aggressive in voicing his displeasure with her votes. But that daylight is still necessary for Collins to win given he lost the state.
Legislatively, Collins needs cooperation from Trump to burnish one of her biggest selling points as a senator – that her seniority gives Maine outsize sway in Washington. But she can’t work with him too closely, or else she will be seen as the partner of an …
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