President Donald Trump has made a humiliating about-face in a desperate attempt to rescue Maine Senator Susan Collins’ re-election bid.
After nearly 30 years in the Senate, Collins appears to be on the brink of losing her seat to Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, with Trump worsening her troubles in August by imposing a 50 percent tariff on about $20 billion of Canadian products.
Collins, 73, decried the tariffs as a “mistake” after Canada retaliated with counter-tariffs, including levies specifically targeting products from Maine, which relies heavily on trade with America’s northern neighbor.
On Friday, with the midterms just 10 days away, Trump made an abrupt U-turn, rolling back some of the tariffs on Canada that hurt Maine and other border states.
The new policy carves out nine product categories from the steep tariffs Trump imposed on Canada after trade negotiations fell apart, including agricultural equipment, refrigeration and freezing equipment, paper and plastic boxes, and seaweed products, according to Collins, who quickly took credit for the tariff rollback.
“I will continue working directly with Administration officials to seek additional relief and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner,” Collins wrote on X.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, 80, had already eased some of his tariffs on Canada last month, exempting products such as road salt and cement.
But Collins’ attempt to claim credit fell flat during a debate earlier this month with Jackson, who fired back, “What about everything else? We can’t eat road salt.”
Collins, who has spent years walking a political tightrope in purple Maine, repeatedly highlighted during the debate how she has pushed back on the president’s unpopular policies.
Jackson, however, pounced on her long history of siding with Trump in critical moments, delivering a stinging line after Collins noted that she voted against the final passage of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”—after voting to advance it in the Senate.
“Senator Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” he said.
The latest Fox News poll puts the race in a dead heat, with Jackson and Collins each earning 49 percent support among likely Maine voters.
