‘You can’t make it up’: Social media pounces on Trump’s last-minute move for Susan Collins

President Donald Trump’s last-minute tariff relief for Maine drew swift backlash Friday, with opponents accusing him of throwing Republican Sen. Susan Collins a political lifeline just days before the midterm elections.

Collins celebrated securing exemptions for agricultural machinery, refrigeration equipment, packaging and other goods used by Maine’s blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers, after repeated discussions with senior Trump administration officials.

Collins said she had “stressed the burdens additional costs impose on Maine businesses and families.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that the relief could be offset by higher tariffs on other Canadian goods.

But her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, wasn’t buying it.

“Trump’s trade wars have made life harder and more expensive for Mainers. Susan Collins enabled this chaos, voted to confirm the people behind it, and now wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire,” Jackson wrote on social media.

Jackson added that “Mainers needed help long before Susan Collins needed saving,” and that families’ struggles weren’t “enough of an emergency” until Collins risked losing her job.

The backlash quickly spread online.

Democratic strategist Mike Nellis questioned the administration’s messaging, asking on X, “I thought tariffs didn’t cause inflation?”

Cato Institute Vice President Scott Lincicome reacted: “You can’t make it up.”

“Susan Collins and Trump are running a mafia-style protection racket together,” the political account Collins Watch posted. “And it's clearer than ever that the best thing for Maine would be to put this particular crime family out of business.”

Reporters also noted the timing. Washington Post economic policy reporter Riley Beggin called the exemptions “well-timed for midterms.” Punchbowl News reporter Laura Weiss described the announcement as a “notable move” in the final stretch of Collins’ reelection campaign.