President Trump shouted at Senator Susan Collins after she joined four other Republicans in voting with Democrats to limit the president’s authority on military action regarding Venezuela, and that phone call raises real consequences for her reelection prospects as Trump promises to campaign hard for loyal GOP nominees in 2026.
There is an obvious rift between the White House and Senator Susan Collins after last week’s Senate vote on a war powers resolution tied to the Maduro operation in Venezuela. Collins was one of five Republicans who sided with Democrats to impose limits on future U.S. military action without explicit congressional approval. That break with the party leadership drew an immediate and furious reaction from President Trump.
The president went public and private. On his platform he blasted the senators who backed the resolution, saying they “should never be elected to office again,” and he followed up with a direct phone call to Collins. A Senate colleague described the call as a profanity-laced rant that came out of the blue, underlining how personal and intense the president’s displeasure was.
“He called her and then basically read her the riot act,” one Senate GOP member told The Hill, describing it as a “profanity-laced rant” on Trump’s end.
“He called her and then basically read her the riot act,” one Senate GOP member told The Hill, describing it as a “profanity-laced rant” on Trump’s end.
The GOP member also noted that the call came “out of the blue” as the two do not talk frequently.
Another source summed up the mood simply: “He was very mad about the vote. Very mad. Very hot.” That anger matters in a Republican primary world where the former president’s endorsement, energy, and willingness to campaign can make or break a candidate. For Collins, who is already seen as vulnerable, anger from Trump is the kind of headwind few incumbents want to face in a tough year.
When pressed about the criticism, Collins offered a terse response that acknowledged the president’s unhappiness while staying noncommittal about her political fate. She declined to elaborate on whether that displeasure would shape her own decisions or potential challengers in Maine. Her measured tone did little to erase the fact that she crossed party lines on a high-profile national security vote.
Of the five GOP defectors, Collins is the only one with a Senate seat on the ballot in 2026, and that makes her the immediate focus for anyone tracking the fallout. Republican strategists warn that a lack of active support from Trump could hand the Democrats an opening in a state that can swing if the national tides change. At the same time, backing from the president could help staunch erosion among the party’s base.
Trump’s campaign plans look aggressive — his team signaled he will press hard for Republican nominees and play a headlining role in mobilizing voters. White House advisors say the playbook will echo the intensity of 2024, with coordinated turnout efforts aimed at defending friendly incumbents and punishing perceived disloyalty. That posture turns Collins’s vote into more than a single incident; it becomes a test of whether a moderate Republican can survive in a GOP that prizes loyalty to the former president.
The Maine race is shaping up with Democrats weighing two very different directions for their nominee, but the identity of the opposition matters less than the national environment. If Trump puts his machine behind a challenger in Maine or simply ignores Collins, her path narrows significantly. For many Republicans watching, the calculus is simple: cross the president and you may face consequences at the ballot box.
Collins’s defenders point to her long service and independent streak as reasons voters in Maine trust her judgment on complex issues. Critics, however, argue that the party needs unified support for commanders in chief when the country faces overseas threats. That debate, framed now by an expletive-filled phone call, will be a central theme in the months ahead.
Political operatives on both sides will treat the episode as a signal, and it will shape fundraising, endorsements, and how intensely Trump mobilizes his base for midterm races. For Collins, the fallout from a single vote and a single phone call could define the tone of her reelection fight and determine whether she survives the coming Republican-focused campaign season.
ThaT old Bitch sold her soul to Satan!