Politics
Susan Collins Defends Trump Record By Listing Every Time She Was Very Concerned
By Mor Michael, . BSN Network. Satire.
BANGOR, Maine -- Susan Collins, the four-term Republican senator and self-described independent voice of Maine, arrived at Tuesday's debate prepared to answer for her record on Donald Trump, which she did by producing what sources described as an extensive oral catalog of her own discomfort.
The debate, the first of four scheduled matchups between Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, was supposed to cover tariffs, healthcare and the economy. It mostly covered the question of whether feeling bad about something counts as opposing it, a legal theory Collins has been developing since approximately 2017.
"I have been one of the most vocal critics of this administration," Collins told the audience, citing her decision to describe Trump's behavior as "deeply troubling" in a 2019 floor statement that was followed, eleven hours later, by a vote in his favor.
Jackson, who serves as Maine's Senate President and arrived with a printed list of roll call votes, attempted several times to redirect the conversation toward what Collins had actually done rather than what she had quietly felt while doing it. Collins responded by noting that she has been in the Senate since 1997, a fact she appeared to believe resolved the matter.
"Seniority is not a voting record," Jackson said.
"I didn't say it was," Collins replied, in the tone of someone who absolutely meant it was.
The exchange over Trump consumed roughly forty minutes of the ninety-minute debate, during which Collins explained that she had voted against Trump twice in impeachment proceedings, that she had "serious reservations" about at least six cabinet nominees she ultimately confirmed, and that she found the January 6th attack on the Capitol "absolutely unacceptable," a position she communicated by voting to acquit the man responsible for it.
Collins told the audience she brings home more federal dollars per capita than almost any other state's senator, which is true, and which she presented as evidence that being troubled by something while funding it is a coherent governing philosophy.
Jackson called her the deciding vote on the 2017 tax cuts, the confirming vote for three Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and a reliable presence whenever Mitch McConnell needed a number. Collins called this characterization "deeply unfair" and said she had privately raised concerns with leadership on multiple occasions.
When a moderator asked Collins directly whether she would support Trump in 2028, she said she was "focused on the people of Maine," which the audience received in silence.
Jackson said he was glad to hear it.
Three more debates are scheduled. Collins has already expressed serious reservations about the format.
The story we are making fun of: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/susan-collins-troy-jackson-clash-trump-seniority-maines-first-senate-d-rcna601346