President Donald Trump criticized U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and three other Republican senators in an early Wednesday social media post for not backing his plan to impose new tariffs on Canada.
Trump wrote shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday on his Truth Social account that Collins — along with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, both of Kentucky — will “hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change,” and oppose a resolution to repeal Trump’s February emergency declaration authorizing the aggressive tariffs.
During a speech later in the afternoon Wednesday, which he dubbed “Liberation Day,” Trump announced 10 percent tariffs on imports from all other countries to go along with his planned 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports and 10 percent tariffs on Canadian energy products.
That resolution from U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, could clear the Senate before likely falling in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, but Kaine has noted it will force Republican senators to pick sides in Trump’s trade battles. Collins had previously called the Canada tariffs “disastrous” for Maine, which gets about 70 percent of its imports, including almost all heating oil, from neighboring Canada.
In a roughly 13-minute floor speech Wednesday, Collins said she supported Kaine’s resolution while also sharing “the president’s goal of stemming the tide of dangerous fentanyl that flows into the United States.” While she believes there is “a strong case to be made” for tariffs on Mexico and China, Collins said Trump’s tariffs on Canada will hurt Maine’s economy in various ways and discourage Canadian tourists from vacationing in Maine.
When Trump initially planned but then delayed in February new tariffs of 25 percent on Canada and Mexico and 10 percent tariffs on China, Collins had also said the Canadian tariffs would “impose a significant burden on many families, manufacturers, the forest products industry, small businesses, lobstermen and agricultural producers.”
“They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels,” Trump said of Collins and the other senators, alluding to his accusation that Canada is not doing enough to stop fentanyl from entering the U.S.
Trump also wrote the Senate resolution “is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four,” and that he would not sign it.
A spokesperson for Collins, who is up for reelection in 2026, deferred to her Wednesday floor speech in support of Kaine’s resolution when asked for comment on Trump’s post. Collins said “the price hikes that will happen for Maine families, every time they go to the grocery store, they fill their gas tank, they fill their heating oil tank, if these tariffs go into effect, will be so harmful.”
“And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least,” Collins added.
Trump concluded his Truth Social post by urging “the people of the Great States of Kentucky, Alaska, and Maine” to “please contact these Senators and get them to FINALLY adhere to Republican Values and Ideals.”
“They have been extremely difficult to deal with and, unbelievably disloyal to [Senate] Majority Leader John Thune, [R-South Dakota] and the Republican Party itself,” Trump wrote.