In 2026, Jonathan Bush praised Trump’s governing approach and said the country owed Trump “a debt of gratitude,” even as DOGE-driven cuts were impacting Maine non-profits and services.
Bush called for a $1 billion tax cut and proposed sweeping audits and automation of the state government. Trump’s DOGE-related cuts eliminated roughly $3 million in federal funding for Maine nonprofits and environmental programs and threatened the livelihoods of more than 12,700 federal workers across the state, including employees at Acadia National Park and other critical federal agencies.
January 2026: Jonathan Bush Said The Country Owed Trump “A Debt Of Gratitude” And Praised His Policies As “Critical Steps Forward That This County Needed.” According to Bush’s interview with The Ray Richardson Show, “HOST: We asked Garrett the same question in crowded Republican field, and everyone in the country always wants to know where are our Republican candidates, how they view President Trump and what the relationship is like. And with you, maybe it's a little trickier because there's some tension between the Bush family and Trump, but same question that we ask Garrett. BUSH: Yeah, look, this is a guy who you go back and imagine who else could have shifted our thinking on the border? Who else could have shifted our thinking on fairness at work? Who else could have shifted our thinking on standing up to folks that were slowly frog in a frying pan, eating our lunch internationally? This is a guy who we owe a debt of gratitude to. You know, I'm not sure the there's any excuse or any sort of counter argument that makes you not see say that we owe a debt of gratitude to Trump for fixing that thinking nationally and acting on it. I mean, the number that my favorite number is that is border crossings. I mean, literally, you can just see them spike up during Biden and then drop right off like a rock. And, you know, when I heard him say, oh, he's going to build a wall, that's poetry of politics, you know, I took it to literally and a lot of people I think took Trump too literally. But if you look at the management outcomes on these things, these are critical steps forward that this country needed in order to be a country in order to prosper. So I think there's a lot to build on thanks to Donald Trump.” [Jonathan Bush Interview – The Ray Richardson Show, 1/9/26] (AUDIO)
January 2026: Jonathan Bush Said He “Genuinely Approve[d] Of” Trump’s Economic Agenda And Governing Approach And “Genuinely Agree[d] With” Trump’s Policies And Defended His Confrontational Leadership Style. According to Bush’s interview with The Ray Richardson Show, “HOST: In my opinion, yeah. In my opinion, you won't be the nominee unless you answer the question. The Bush family and Trump. Yeah, because I'm full MAGA. […] The president has fundamentally changed the Republican Party it’s grass roots it's a middle-class party now. And you know all the things he's done its been unbelievable. I appreciate myself because I got it early. Yeah, I got it in 2015 when he announced. Yeah, but back to the point, you have to answer that question or you won't be a nominee. BUSH: Yeah. I don't there's nobody I've ever seen in politics that I agree with 100% and nobody and not the old. You promise me you have not sat there on TV one day and said, ‘What the hell did he just say?’ I mean, look at J.D. Vance's tweets about Donald Trump. There's nobody in that administration. There's none of his kids. Nobody hasn't looked at Donald Trump and said, what the hell did he just say? But the net effect of his presidency in terms of the border, in terms of our business climate, growing the economy 5% in the last quarter, taking on China as a legitimate real enemy as opposed to something to look the other way. You know, the puppy poop in the middle of the room and everybody walks around it. These are things that I genuinely approve of, genuinely agree with. And I'm not sure whether a gentler voice would have gotten them into the room.” [Jonathan Bush Interview – The Ray Richardson Show, 1/9/26] (AUDIO)
October 2025: Jonathan Bush Called For Massive Tax Cuts, Audits, And Automation Of Maine’s Government. According to Bush at the Maine GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Forum, “We must bring the American Dream back in here and make it believable in Maine. That means we need to cut taxes, start with income, by $1,000,000,000. Then we got to audit Augusta, go through every line item and find the duplication and waste and automate and delegate, as I have done countless times before.” [Jonathan Bush – Maine GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Forum, 10/18/25] (VIDEO)
2025: Jonathan Bush Called For A $1 Billion Tax Cut To Reduce Maine’s Tax Burden. According to Jonathan Bush’s campaign website, “We’ll start with an immediate tax cut that will reduce Maine’s tax burden by a billion dollars. That will put a billion dollars back into the pockets of working Mainers to provide much-needed relief and to jump-start our economy. No more mincing around the edges.” [Jonathan Bush, Issues, Archived 12/23/25]
Jonathan Bush Promised An Audit Of State Government And Claimed Most State Spending Faced No Regular Review. According to Jonathan Bush’s campaign website, “We will dive into a thorough and far-reaching audit of state government, to weed out waste, fraud, and abuse, and to make sure every penny is accounted for. Right now, 95% of state spending receives no regular review, and is simply on auto pilot each budget cycle. This will end on day one.” [Jonathan Bush, Issues, Archived 12/23/25]
2025: DOGE Cuts Impacted Inflation Reduction Act Grants That Supported Climate Resiliency And Renewable Energy Projects In Maine. According to the Maine Morningstar, “Throughout Maine, nonprofits, tribes and local governments had begun work to increase environmental resiliency in their communities through federal grants funded in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The Center for an Ecology-Based Economy in the town of Norway was awarded one of those grants to help the local school district transition to renewable energy and make building efficiency upgrades, as well as help the overall town develop a climate action plan. In southern Maine, the Greater Portland Council of Governments had been using its grant to expand regional capacity to respond to climate hazards and severe weather, which the state has seen increase in recent years.” [Maine Morningstar, 8/7/25]
2025: DOGE And The Trump Administration Terminated About $3 Million In Environmental And Climate Justice Grants In Maine Through The Environmental Protection Agency. According to the Maine Morningstar, “But in March the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency terminated these two grants, four others in Maine and hundreds across the country awarded through the Environmental and Climate Justice Program as part of the broad push from President Donald Trump’s administration to cut environmental justice measures, which seek to establish equitable access to healthy environments. Grantees in Maine, which also include the Penobscot Nation, Maine People’s Resource Center, United Charitable and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, with projects totaling about $3 million, are watching the first class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration terminating this program for a signal as to whether their funding could eventually be restored. […] The terminations were part of sweeping cuts to what the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency task force deemed unnecessary spending, including efforts it deemed diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI.” [Maine Morningstar, 8/7/25]
July 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court Ruled The Trump Administration Could Move Forward With DOGE Layoff Plans, Targeting More Than 12,700 Federal Workers In Maine. According to Central Maine, “Federal workers in Maine and around the country are facing uncertainty following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows the Trump administration to move forward with widespread workforce reductions, though it's still early to say exactly what impact the decision will have. The court's order Tuesday allows the administration to proceed with plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce and reorganize federal agencies. The decision unfreezes plans for layoffs that were already in the works and were blocked by a lower court, and it could result in job losses for tens of thousands of employees around the country. […] There are about 12,700 federal employees in Maine. Many of them - about 6,500 - are employed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.” [Central Maine, 7/9/25]
HEADLINE: “Acadia National Park, SAMHSA Employees Fired As Trump Administration Slashes Federal Workforce” [Portland Press Herald, 2/19/25]
February 2025: DOGE Cuts Triggered Layoffs At Acadia National Park And The Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration In Maine. According to the Portland Press Herald, “Workers at Acadia National Park and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were laid off last week as part of a mass firing of about 10,000 federal employees to slash government spending. The eight Acadia National Park employees laid off last week represent a 10% reduction of year-round staff for one of the state's busiest tourist attractions. One SAMSHA employee was also let go. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was unclear whether there were more layoffs of federal employees in Maine who are not political appointees. The terminated Acadia workers are among 1,000 National Park Service employees who were fired as President Donald Trump and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, make dramatic cuts to the federal workforce.” [Portland Press Herald, 2/19/25]
February 2025: Federal Hiring Freeze Hit Acadia National Park While It Was Already Operating Below Full Staffing. According to the Portland Press Herald, “The federal government has been under a hiring freeze since Jan. 20, leaving many concerned about the impact on seasonal staffing. Acadia National Park, which has a year-round workforce of up to 100 but was operating with about 75 before the layoffs, hires around 150 seasonal workers to support the park during the busy summer and fall seasons.” [Portland Press Herald, 2/19/25]