¶ Overview
Susan Collins was a fake bipartisan who voted with Trump 95% of the time and stood behind Trump—literally—while holding her MAGA hat and Trump swag bag. Trump praised Collins’ work in the Senate and cheered for her reelection. JD Vance came to Maine to “give a shout-out to Susan Collins” and stump for Collins’ reelection.
Message: Collins was a typical MAGA lackey who backed Trump at nearly every opportunity.
¶ Collins Was MAGA, Not A Moderate
¶ Susan Collins Voted With Trump 95% Of The Time
Collins Voted With Trump 95% Of The Time. According to the Center For American Progress, “Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) voted with Trump 94 percent and 95 percent of the time, respectively. Collins’ seven votes and Murkowski’s nine votes that differed from the White House were largely the more controversial nominees—Defense Secretary Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Judge Emil Bove for the 3rd Circuit—who were nevertheless confirmed, along with some larger budget bills that passed anyway.” [Center For American Progress, 9/18/25]
¶ Collins Stood Behind Trump With A MAGA Hat And MAGA Swag Bag As Trump Praised Her Senate Performance
2026: Collins Stood Behind Trump In The Oval Office, Holding Her MAGA “America Is Back” Hat, While Trump Praised Her For “Doing Good” In The Senate. According to the Maine Beacon, “Any past divisions between Pres. Donald Trump and Maine’s senior senator weren’t in view on Tuesday as Sen. Susan Collins stood next to Trump at a bill signing, held a red hat emblazoned with the slogan “America is Back” and received his praise. ‘All right, you’re doing good,’ Trump told Collins, as he lauded a series of lawmakers and signed a budget bill that he called ‘a great victory for the American people.’ Trump noted that the bill cuts funding for PBS and NPR, “continues the closure of USAID,” and cuts funding for tax evasion enforcement at the IRS.” [Maine Beacon, 2/4/26]
2025: Collins Wandered The Oval With A Full Bag Of Assumedly Trump Merchandise. Senator Bill Cassidy tweeted, “Always good catching up with President @realDonaldTrump. Talked Louisiana, the #SchumerShutdown — and yes, he signed my Gulf of America hat. 🇺🇸” [Twitter, @BillCassidy, 10/21/25]
¶ Trump And Vance Campaigned For Collins Won And Praised Her As “A Good Person”Who Was “Doing A Great Job”
Trump Hoped That Collins “Wins” Her Senate Race And Claimed She Was “A Good Person, Actually.” The Bulwark tweeted, “Trump: ‘Murkowski from Alaska…she's a very difficult person, very terrible person to be honest with you. And you have Collins…I hope she wins…She's a good person, actually.’” [Twitter, @BulwarkOnline, 3/26/26]
Vance Gave “A Shout-Out To Susan Collins” At A Maine Campaign Event And Claimed Collins Was “Doing A Great Job.” According to The Washington Post, “Vance conceded that he could ‘get frustrated’ with Collins, who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 and against his sweeping domestic policy bill last year. But Vance framed Collins’s moderate reputation as a positive. ‘If she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was, she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine,’ Vance said. ‘So let’s give a shout-out to Susan Collins, who’s doing a great job.’” [Washington Post, 5/14/26]