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Tags: donald trump | susan collins | war powers | venezuela

Trump Fumes at Sen. Collins Over War Powers Vote

By    |   Friday, 09 January 2026 10:52 PM EST

President Donald Trump on Thursday blasted Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, during a heated phone call after she supported a Democrat-led War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting his authority over further military action in Venezuela, The Hill reported Friday.

Trump called Collins during the vote and sharply criticized her decision.

One Senate GOP member described the call as Trump "reading her the riot act," and called it a profanity-laced rant, The Hill reported.

The lawmaker said the call came "out of the blue," noting Trump and Collins do not speak frequently.

A second source said Trump told Collins the resolution, which passed 52-47, would restrict his ability to carry out his duties as commander in chief.

"He was very mad about the vote," the source told The Hill. "Very mad. Very hot."

A Collins spokesperson confirmed the call took place but declined to comment further.

Trump later took to Truth Social to condemn Collins and the four other Republicans who voted to advance the resolution — Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Todd Young of Indiana.

Trump said the lawmakers "should never be elected to office again."

"Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America," he said in the post on Truth Social.

Collins, considered one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents up for reelection in November, responded to Trump's criticism shortly afterward.

"The president obviously is unhappy with the vote," Collins told reporters.

"I guess this means that he would prefer to have [Maine] Gov. [Janet] Mills or somebody else."

Mills and progressive candidate Graham Platner are competing for the Democrat nomination in 2026.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged Trump was "fired up" during a call shortly before the vote and later described the president's social media remarks as an immediate reaction to an issue he feels strongly about.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
President Donald Trump on Thursday blasted Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, during a heated phone call after she supported a Democrat-led War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting his authority over further military action in Venezuela, The Hill reported Friday.Trump called...
donald trump, susan collins, war powers, venezuela
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2026-52-09
Friday, 09 January 2026 10:52 PM
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