US Senator Susan Collins: 3 Incidents Are Why I Cannot Support Trump

Collins Indicates That Trump’s Lack of Respect Was Major Factor


In an article written late Monday night for The Washington Post, Susan Collins, a Republican and the senior United States Senator from Maine, wrote that she will not be supporting Donald Trump for President. Collins wrote:


Three incidents in particular have led me to the inescapable conclusion that Mr. Trump lacks the temperament, self-discipline and judgment required to be president.

The first was his mocking of a reporter with disabilities, a shocking display that did not receive the scrutiny it deserved. I kept expecting Mr. Trump to apologize, at least privately, but he did not, instead denying that he had done what seemed undeniable to anyone who watched the video. At the time, I hoped that this was a terrible lapse, not a pattern of abuse.

The second was Mr. Trump’s repeated insistence that Gonzalo Curiel, a federal judge born and raised in Indiana, could not rule fairly in a case involving Trump University because of his Mexican heritage. For Mr. Trump to insist that Judge Curiel would be biased because of his ethnicity demonstrated a profound lack of respect not only for the judge but also for our constitutional separation of powers, the very foundation of our form of government. Again, I waited in vain for Mr. Trump to retract his words.

Third was Donald Trump’s criticism of the grieving parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq. It is inconceivable that anyone, much less a presidential candidate, would attack two Gold Star parents. Rather than honoring their sacrifice and recognizing their pain, Mr. Trump disparaged the religion of the family of an American hero. And once again, he proved incapable of apologizing, of saying he was wrong.

Collins continues on to say that she is also “deeply concerned” that Trump’s “lack of self-restraint” and his “barrage of ill-informed comments” would make an uncertain geopolitical climate even more tenuous. She goes to suggest that “reckless” for a presidential candidate to publicly create doubts about willingness to honor treaty commitments with American allies. Collins also states that Trump’s “tendency to lash out when challenged” increases the likelihood of any disputes spiraling “dangerously out of control.”

The Maine Senator has been in office in Maine since 1997. She becomes only the latest major Republican to refuse endorsement or support of Donald Trump. In the Senate, she joins Dean Heller (R-NV), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ted Cruz (R-TX). Notably, most Senators who have endorsed Trump have done so with major trepidation, offering only tepid “support,” rather than a full-blown endorsement of his candidacy.

Collins in particular offers an excellent opportunity for Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. As a Maine Republican, her ideology is very unorthodox. The political site OnTheIssues grades Collins as a “moderate libertarian liberal.” In an interview last month, Weld called Collins one of his favorite United States Senators due to her moderate stances. Most notably, like Johnson and Weld, Collins remains one of very few Republican national figures who is pro-choice.

She is in favor of free trade, receiving a 67% grade from the libertarian Cato Institute on the issue. She also holds a reasonable stance on immigration, as she favors expansion of visas and giving guest workers a path to citizenship. Collins is generally an opponent of increasing taxes, receiving a 64% from the National Taxpayers Union. On gun rights, she holds a B+ from the National Rifle Assocation.

As more Republicans indicate their distaste for Donald Trump, the ticket of Johnson and Weld have the potential to grow their base more, earn a spot on the national debate stage, and make a serious impact in November.