Vice President JD Vance brought his trade-war defense to Maine on Monday, rallying Republicans in Brewer while Senator Susan Collins stayed away, underscoring a rare intra-party rift over tariffs on Canada.
Collins, who faces a tough reelection fight, has been the most vocal Republican critic of the administration's escalating trade measures against Ottawa. She reiterated over the weekend that the tariffs would harm Maine's economy and families, and urged both sides to return to negotiations. Her absence from Vance's event was widely noted, though she said she had a prior scheduling conflict.
Vance used his remarks to push back against critics, arguing that the United States has long been shortchanged in its trade relationship with its northern neighbor. "I think that we need to send a message loud and clear to the Prime Minister of Canada: Stop taking advantage of the people of Maine. Stop taking advantage of America. It's over, we expect fairness in our trade policy," he said.
The vice president also made an apparent slip, referring to Canada as a state, a Freudian nod to President Trump's repeated suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state. "Canada is a state…Freudian slip. That was actually an accident, an accident," Vance said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The rally came just hours after Trump threatened new tariffs on Canadian automobiles and steel, and days after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from talks ahead of 50 percent U.S. tariffs on a range of products. Carney has promised retaliatory measures, a stance that has broad support across Canada's political spectrum.
Vance took a lighthearted jab at Collins, calling her "the most independent member of the United States Senate," and noting that she sometimes makes his job as Senate president harder. But he also praised her diligence, saying she has visited his residence at least half a dozen times and is "more attuned to the details of every single thing."
Beyond trade, Vance threw his support behind former Governor Paul LePage, who is running for the state's second congressional district, a seat being vacated by Democrat Jared Golden. The district is seen as a potential Republican pickup, and Vance said, "If we're going to fight for Maine, we've got to fight for Paul LePage." LePage, who attended the event, will face Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap in November.
The visit was Vance's second to Maine in recent months, following a May trip to Bangor focused on fraud prevention. He also campaigned in Ohio on Friday, where he highlighted the administration's efforts to crack down on Medicare fraud.
Collins, meanwhile, has continued to press for a negotiated resolution, warning that tariffs could backfire on American workers and consumers. Her stance puts her at odds with the White House, but she remains a key figure in the GOP's narrow Senate majority.
