Only one member of Maine’s congressional delegation, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, plans to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
The three other members of the delegation — Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden and independent Sen. Angus King — gave different reasons for why they were skipping the speech.
King’s office noted that he didn’t attend all of Trump’s previous addresses or all of President Joe Biden’s speeches. But this time, King accused Trump of perpetually disrespecting constitutional rights as well as the rule of law and the constitutional separation of powers in the U.S. government.
“His actions have done tremendous harm to the American people, to our standing among nations, and to our institutions of government,” King said in a statement. “For this reason, I cannot in good conscience participate in a function with this president at its center. To do so would require me to ignore all that has gone before and to pay him a measure of respect which he has not earned.”
Pingree, who represents Maine’s 1st District, plans to join other Democrats at a nearby rally organized by Moveon.org and other groups. Pingree’s office described the rally as counterprogramming to “Trump’s night full of lies and misplaced priorities for the American people.”
Golden, who is serving his final year representing the 2nd District after opting not to seek reelection, pointed out that he has attended six previous state of the union addresses: three delivered by Trump and three by Biden.
“I’m interested in what the president has to say, but I’ve had my fill of pomp and circumstance,” Golden said in a statement. “So I’ll be watching at home.”
That leaves Collins as the only delegation member planning to be there in-person tonight.
Collins has had an, at times, tense relationship with Trump. She did not support him during any of his three presidential elections and has been critical of some of his policies, including his unilateral imposition of tariffs on Canada — Maine’s largest trading partner — without congressional approval. As chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins has also pushed back against the Trump administration’s attempts to curtail or cut off federal spending approved by Congress. But she supported the vast majority of his Cabinet and Supreme Court nominees and has been a key vote in advancing some of the administration’s other priorities.
Collins is running for reelection this year in a race that could decide which party controls the Senate next year.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
