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The unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has inspired a lot of conspiracy theories from supporters of President Donald Trump — but one conservative suspects those theories will not have a long shelf-life.

“A prominent 71-year-old can’t just die of cardiovascular disease these days. Instead, judging by some people’s reactions to the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), there has to be a hidden hand at play,” wrote The Bulwark’s Will Sommer on Monday. He mentioned that right-wing activist Laura Loomer speculated Graham was assassinated either by Russia, for his staunch support of Ukraine, or by Iran, for his consistent backing of Israel. Loomer also speculated that Tucker Carlson, a former Trump supporter who has since turned on the president, might also be ripe for investigation.

“Lindsey Graham dying out of the blue like this doesn’t make any sense at all,” conservative activist Matt Van Swol argued in a post shared by Trump’s former press secretary Sean Spicer.

“And on it went,” Sommer added. “Conservative columnist Marc Thiessen suggested that Graham, who recently visited Ukraine, might be just the latest Putin foe to fall victim to an assassination. (Graham apparently died of an aortic dissection, and Thiessen was commenting on a post noting that ‘Graham has dealt with blood pressure issues since his 40s. His father also died of cardiac arrest at age 69.’) Former CBS News reporter-turned-conspiracy theorist Lara Logan, meanwhile, is dabbling in numerology, scrutinizing the timing of Donald Trump’s posts about Graham’s death to see if they hold clues.”

Sommer also mentioned that billionaire Bill Ackman joined in the conspiracy theories, and that even Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel said the senator’s death could be a crime and may warrant bureau investigation. Yet the problem, Sommer added, is that conspiracy theories about Graham's death tend to be pro-Israel and pro-Ukraine by blaming Iran or Russia, even though the far right-wingers who indulge in conspiracy theories tend to be anti-Israel and pro-Russia

“Barring developments in an FBI investigation into Graham’s death, it seems unlikely to become a MAGA touchstone,” Sommer added. “More likely is that the movement will rather quickly move on.”

He concluded, “Perhaps that’s the ultimate insult to the legacy of Graham, who was ridiculed by Trump just a day after his death for backing away from his criticisms of the January 6th insurrection: Even the conspiracy theorists won’t be moved by him.”

Democrats, by contrast, have responded to Graham’s death by either expressing condolences or voicing contempt. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) wrote that he would remember Graham for “his sense of humor and how he deployed it to move his policy positions forward,” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said that “even though we disagreed on much, he was always willing to negotiate, with humor and wit,” also writing that “my heart goes out to his loved ones.” Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) posted that he was “grateful I had the chance to work with Lindsey, including several international trips working on foreign policy.”

By contrast Thomas Lecaque, associate professor of history at Grand View University, wrote that “I don’t give a f that Graham used to be friends with Democratic senators. He was a bloodthirsty b—— who cheered the killing of Muslims and sold his soul to the fascists to be able to push it more effectively. I don’t care about any other part of him: his choices caused mass death. That’s it.”

Brandon Friedman, the co-founder of Rakkasan Tea Company and an Iraq War veteran, posted that “what I’ll remember most about Senator Graham is how he sent my friends to die in an unnecessary war in Iraq.” Princeton University historian Kevin Kruse said that he will most remember Graham for when he “threw an angry tantrum in defense of a SCOTUS nominee credibly accused of rape.”

Kruse added, “Did you all have a good collegial chuckle over that?”

Graham had a reputation for being a moderate Republican before becoming a staunch Trump supporter. The South Carolina unexpectedly died at the same time that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, has raised eyebrows for his prolonged absence.

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning on claiming that the 2020 Georgia Senate elections were stolen and that the two Democratic incumbents, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are not legitimate lawmakers.

One prominent conservative commentator is arguing that if Trump does indeed act in this way, it will benefit Ossoff, who is up for reelection in a competitive race this November.

“Jon Ossoff is running for re-election this year in Georgia and the President is rumored to be making an in-kind contribution to Ossoff's campaign,” wrote right-wing podcaster Erick Erickson on X on Monday.

Erickson is not alone in criticizing Trump for reviving his 2020 Big Lie, which holds that he won the election even though he was proved beyond a reasonable doubt to have been defeated by then-former Vice President Joe Biden.

“Things are about to get very, very, very bad,” podcaster Chris Mowrey stated on X. Journalist Pedro L. Gonzalez offered a more detailed take.

“If this is true it just shows that Trump is becoming more and more authoritarian, but the stupid kind of authoritarian who can’t even mask regime lies in a convincing way and so it’s obvious to everyone that he is terrified of his opponents (Ossof [sic] is a viable presidential candidate for Dems, one with more appeal than Vance) and also the average voter, which is why he keeps shamelessly pushing the SAVE America Act,” Gonzalez posted.

Policy consultant Adam Cochran pointed out that Trump’s attempt to dislodge Ossoff and Warnock from power misunderstands how the Senate operates.

“Doesn’t work like that,” Cochran pointed out. “First off, there was no fraud, but you seized the ballots and the paper back ups to make sure no one could question it.”

He continued, “Second, the Constitution has no way to nullify a swearing in. Only peer expulsion. Third, this sudden ‘announcement’ is when Trump is down by two senators and desperate to pass a bill. Lastly, Trump had 64 court cases to try and litigate the election, including in Georgia. No case turned up any evidence, including after an audit of these ballots.”

He completed his thought by writing, “Trump’s own lawyers and advocates then admitted to making up the conspiracy about this county, and were charged for it. Part of the court evidence included their own email records of coming up with the plot.”

In addition to falsely claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, Trump is employing a number of tactics to try to make sure he does not lose control of Congress during the 2026 midterm elections. He has threatened to use ICE and radical groups at polling places to intimidate voters, potentially purged voters from the rolls, attempted to impose restrictions on mail-in voting and pushed for strict voter ID laws, most notably the SAVE Act.

Writing for The Washington Post in February, conservative columnist George F. Will broke down how Trump’s claims about the 2020 election have been decisively debunked.

“Someone should read to him ‘Lost, Not Stolen,’ a 2022 report by eight conservatives (two former Republican senators, three former federal appellate judges, a former Republican solicitor general, and two Republican election law specialists),” Will wrote. “They examined all 187 counts in the 64 court challenges filed in multiple states by Trump and his supporters. Twenty cases were dismissed before hearings on their merits, 14 were voluntarily dismissed by Trump and his supporters before hearings. Of the 30 that reached hearings on the merits, Trump’s side prevailed in only one, Pennsylvania, involving far too few votes to change the state’s result.”

Will concluded, “Trump’s batting average? .016. In Arizona, the most exhaustively scrutinized state, a private firm selected by Trump’s advocates confirmed Trump’s loss, finding 99 additional Biden votes and 261 fewer Trump votes.”

While the office of former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insists he is merely recovering from a fall at a hospital, conspiracy theories continue abound that the continuously-absent Kentuckian seen carried away on a stretcher is actually in a much worse state.

“Cornyn says ‘we need some transparency’ from McConnell,” reported NBC News congressional correspondent Brennan Leach, referring to an interview with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). “Says he wishes McConnell had updated about his health ‘earlier.’ ‘I think it would have resolved a lot of questions.’” Cornyn also said he wants to see toxicology reports on the unexpected death of a different Republican lawmaker, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

“Given where he was and the sorts of things he was advocating for, I think we just ought to resolve all those questions by seeing what the toxicology reports show," Cornyn said about Graham.

Earlier on Monday, Cornyn told NOTUS reporter Igor Bobic that he believes Trump's chief foreign policy adviser, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, disclaimed any interest from the United States in charging for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, even though Trump has reneged on that.

"I recall Secretary Rubio saying that would not be proper for any country. Am I wrong?” Cornyn said.

When it comes to Cornyn's critique of McConnell, he is not alone among prominent conservatives. A different Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, offered a bold argument about what he thinks is going on with McConnell.

“I just heard from some other source that was an older photo, so I really don’t know,” Johnson told Fox News, later emphasizing that “it was a rumor. Just discount it[.] I have no idea. I just, I heard that. I just heard it. So just assume it's false.”

Speaking with conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, The Daily Wire's Michael J. Knowles admitted that he is “skeptical” about the McConnell team’s claims that he is still alive and conscious.

“I don't know if I buy the excuses[.] I'm pretty skeptical…" Knowles said. Another right-winger, anarchist podcaster Michael Malice, instead decided to joke about McConnell’s health by comparing him to former Rep. Gabrielle Gifford (D-AZ), who was left brain damaged after an assassination attempt in 2011.

“Mitch McConnell is so brain damaged that it's giving Mark Kelly an erection,” Malice said. Right-wing radio host Wayne Allyn Root by contrast humored the conspiracy theories.

“So, is Mitch McConnell photo real, or an old photo being recycled to make us think he's alive & recovering?” Root wrote. “I have no idea. But I hear many are questioning the photo. The guy has been half dead for years...blank stare...then he almost dies in his home...needs CPR...now his wife tries to convince us he's fine.”

He added, “Really? More gaslighting? And what was she doing running to China? Should have been by his bedside. Or maybe at White House with Trump. Why China? Is that who owns her?”

Perhaps to counter the right-wing conspiracy theories, Rep. Jack Kimble (R-CA) asked people to give the Kentuckian his space.

“I posted a picture yesterday from the McConnell campaign that a lot of people claimed was AI and demanded proof it was real,” Kimble said. “Fortunately, Mitch’s team was kind enough to provide proof, but this has to stop. Let the poor man recover.”

At least one prominent Democrat, former Vice President Kamala Harris adviser Mike Nellis, made it clear that he thinks his party should hold Republicans’ feet to the fire over McConnell, citing Kentucky’s own governor as an example.

“Kentucky Republicans have tried to take away Governor Beshear’s ability to appoint Mitch McConnell’s replacement,” Nellis wrote. “Beshear says he’s considering ignoring the state legislature and appointing a Democrat to replace McConnell anyway. He believes the law is unconstitutional, that Kentucky’s constitution gives him the authority, and that he’s prepared to test the GOP on it.”

He added, ‘This is exactly how Democrats should be fighting.”

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning on delivering a speech in the near future amplifying his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him — and social media users on X are raising the alarm.

“Things are about to get very, very, very bad,” posted podcaster Chris Mowrey. Similarly Shannon Watts, the New York Times bestselling author of “Fired Up,” wrote that this means there will be “a Civil War instead of midterm elections.”

Journalist Pedro L. Gonzalez struck an ominous note by pointing out that Trump also plans on declaring Georgia’s two senators, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, to be illegitimate.

“If this is true it just shows that Trump is becoming more and more authoritarian, but the stupid kind of authoritarian who can’t even mask regime lies in a convincing way and so it’s obvious to everyone that he is terrified of his opponents (Ossof [sic] is a viable presidential candidate for Dems, one with more appeal than Vance) and also the average voter, which is why he keeps shamelessly pushing the SAVE America Act,” Gonzalez argued.

Policy consultant Adam Cochran also posted a lengthy analysis about the report, poking several holes in Trump’s arguments about supposed 2020 election fraud.

“Doesn’t work like that,” Cochran said. “First off, there was no fraud, but you seized the ballots and the paper back ups to make sure no one could question it.”

He added, “Second, the Constitution has no way to nullify a swearing in. Only peer expulsion. Third, this sudden ‘announcement’ is when Trump is down by two senators and desperate to pass a bill. Lastly, Trump had 64 court cases to try and litigate the election, including in Georgia. No case turned up any evidence, including after an audit of these ballots.”

Cochran concluded, “Trump’s own lawyers and advocates then admitted to making up the conspiracy about this county, and were charged for it. Part of the court evidence included their own email records of coming up with the plot.”

Melanie D'Arrigo, the vice president of legislative affairs for New York’s chapter of the National Organization for Women, was more succinctly than Cochran while likewise noting that his claims about Georgia had been litigated.

“The same Georgia election where Donald Trump was indicted by a jury of his peers for trying to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to ‘find 11,780 votes,’ to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results?” D’Arrigo wrote. “That election?”

Meanwhile Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, simply said that the reporting if true would be “insane. INSANE.”

Trump has made a number of efforts to avoid losing the 2026 midterm elections, from unsuccessfully trying to pass the SAVE America Act to require voters to show proof of citizenship and likewise unsuccessfully attempting to get the US Postal Service to decide who can send by ballots by mail to purging voters from the rolls and threatening to send ICE to intimidate voters at the polling places.

“Someone should read to him ‘Lost, Not Stolen,’ a 2022 report by eight conservatives (two former Republican senators, three former federal appellate judges, a former Republican solicitor general, and two Republican election law specialists),” conservative columnist George F. Will wrote for The Washington Post on Monday. “They examined all 187 counts in the 64 court challenges filed in multiple states by Trump and his supporters. Twenty cases were dismissed before hearings on their merits, 14 were voluntarily dismissed by Trump and his supporters before hearings. Of the 30 that reached hearings on the merits, Trump’s side prevailed in only one, Pennsylvania, involving far too few votes to change the state’s result.”

Will added, “Trump’s batting average? .016. In Arizona, the most exhaustively scrutinized state, a private firm selected by Trump’s advocates confirmed Trump’s loss, finding 99 additional Biden votes and 261 fewer Trump votes.”

One of President Donald Trump’s golf clubs has a major pest control problem — literally.

“When a Loudoun County health official visited the Trump National Golf Club Washington D.C.’s restaurant last month, the inspector spotted some invaders,” reported by NOTUS' Dave Levinthal on Monday. Levinthal proceeded to describe a health inspector report chronicling “large quantity of small flies” at a storage room near the employee restrooms, as well as a number of health issues.

The potential hygiene hazards included “several food items stored at a temperature above the required 41 degrees Fahrenheit minimum. That included the blue cheese (54 degrees), sausage links (51 degrees), sausage patties (49 degrees) and pasta (49 degrees).” The report also noted that the grill’s employees improperly stored “raw steak, fish and burgers above ready-to-eat foods such as tortillas and sauces.” The snack bar also created a potential health risk, as “the health official deemed the sink’s chemical sanitizer solution exceeded regulations for maximum strength level.”

This incident is part of a larger pattern with Trump’s various construction projects.

“Two other Trump-owned clubs, Trump National Golf Club Westchester and Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley, both in New York, received recent health citations earlier this year,” Levinthal wrote. “In Illinois, the Trump International Hotel in Chicago also found itself bedeviled by flies, among other health issues, NOTUS reported in March.”

When confronted with accusations of sub-par work at his various businesses and renovation projects, Trump has a history of trying to blame the people who point them out. He is waging prosecutions widely regarded as frivolous against individuals who he, without evidence, has accused of sabotaging his attempt to renovate the Reflecting Pool. The president argued that vandals had slashed a “350-foot gash” into the project when in fact the pool was recently drained and no such gash appeared. The pool, which is supposed to reflect people’s images, has instead turned green while algae blooms proliferate there.

Trump has been accused of giving projects to cronies through no-bid contracts instead of finding the highest quality service for the lowest bidder.

“Those looking for a simple phrase to help summarize Donald Trump’s second term could do worse than ‘no-bid contract.’ Indeed, it has been difficult to keep up on all of the assorted projects championed by the president that have bypassed the normal bidding process the federal government has relied on for many years,” MS NOW analyst Steve Benen wrote in June.

He added, “Reflecting Pool renovations? No-bid contract. Applying gold-toned coating to horse statues by the Lincoln Memorial? No-bid contract. Repairing ornamental fountains in Lafayette Park? No-bid contract."

A Republican senator who President Donald Trump recently threw under the bus is now throwing a top Trump official’s words back in his face — and over an issue that economically impacts every American.

“I recall Secretary Rubio saying that would not be proper for any country. Am I wrong?” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told NOTUS journalist Igor Bobic regarding Trump saying the United States will toll the Strait of Hormuz. Ever since Trump invaded Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has been hotly contested, with Iran’s throttling of the key waterway raising prices on essential products like oil and fertilizer for ordinary Americans.

Cornyn was referring to how Trump recently announced that the United States will be the new so-called “guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and as such start collecting a 20 percent toll on ships that transit across the globally-utilized shipping route.

“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account. “We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”

He added, ”The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20 percent on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.”

Trump’s remarks clearly contradict Secretary of State Marco Rubio promising that America would follow international law, which prohibits the charging of tolls and fees on the waterway.

“That’s the law,” Rubio said in June. “It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway.”

He continued, “That’s existing international law. That’s the way it is in international waterways all over the world and that’s the way we’ll expect it’ll be here.”

Cornyn may have personal as well as political reasons to draw attention to Trump’s seeming flip-flop on the issue of Strait of Hormuz tolls. In May, despite Cornyn overwhelmingly supporting Trump’s agenda in the Senate, the president endorsed Cornyn’s primary challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ultimately prevailed. By contrast, Rubio has risen in Trump’s estimation as a potential 2028 presidential candidate to succeed him instead of Vice President JD Vance, who has reportedly fallen out of Trump’s favor because of his voiced skepticism about invading Iran.

Ever since Trump invaded Iran, Americans have suffered from rising prices due to Iran’s actions shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking with AlterNet in April, White House spokesperson Kush Desai argued that the economic pain caused by the Iran war will be temporary.

“President Trump has been clear about short-term disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury, and the Administration went into this military engagement with a plan to mitigate these disruptions to America’s long-term economic resurgence," Desai told AlterNet at the time. "As energy markets begin to stabilize, historic tax refund checks hit the mail, and the rest of the Trump administration’s pro-growth agenda continues taking effect, Americans can rest assured that the best is yet to come.”

President Donald Trump and his children have long faced accusations of corruption, as the Republican leader openly and his progeny openly do business with foreign countries despite the appearance of conflicts of interest. Now one of those controversial business deals — a planned resort in Albania that would destroy an ecologically-protected flamingo sanctuary — just saw a plot twist that left a conservative commentator literally laughing out loud.

“Should we talk about the Albania resort?” The Bulwark’s Will Sommer told his colleague Tim Miller. Sommer was referring to the attempts by Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner to purchase islands in Albania from an alleged mob-linked figure, prompting widespread protests that have threatened Prime Minister Edi Rama’s regime. After reviewing the history of the fight over the Albanian 1,400 hectares, Sommer and Miller described the latest news report: that Artur Shehu, the businessman who sold them the land, never actually owned it in the first place.

“I think these are the highs and lows of doing business in a country like Albania, you know,” Sommer told Miller. “On one hand, maybe you can get them very quickly, the deeds.”

Laughing, Miller told Sommer he “almost spit out my coffee” at the comment “highs and lows of Albania,” then allowed his colleague to continue with his point.

“But on the other, those deeds might not be real,” Sommer warned Miller. “So basically what's going on here is that there is a village, as I understand it — there's a village involved here, and the villagers say, ‘Well, no, actually this is our land, you can tell because we all have houses and we live here.’ But he claims, ‘No, I have the deed.’ And so the allegation is that he basically forged the deeds and sold — then he said, ‘Okay, Jared and Ivanka and various Gulf sheikhs, you give me the money and here's your deed, and now you can build your resort.’”

After Miller expressed disbelief that the Rama administration did not do more to weed out any potential legal issues with the deal, Sommer characterized it as a dispute in which “Jared and Ivanka say, ‘I will enter that on the side of the cocaine trafficker.’” He also pointed out that the issue has harmed Albania’s standing with the European Union, which it wishes to join, both because it threatens wildlife and because security forces beat up a Greek citizen protesting the resort.

“I don't think it's worth it, Albania,” Sommer said, with Miller adding “you gotta feel for the flamingos. Innocent bystanders, all this — they just want their land.”

In June, the UK-based Independent ran a story covered by reporter Zana Cimili about how Albania became involved with the Trump children.

"Albania's government champions the Adriatic Coast development as a transformative venture for the nation, aiming to boost its high-end tourism sector and support its bid for European Union membership," Cimili said. "However, the project, which encompasses an abandoned island and a stretch of seafront on Albania's southern coast, has sparked criticism from environmental groups and detractors of the long-serving Socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama." Since late May, Cimili added, "excavators and other heavy machinery have entered the area, opening access routes, digging into the sand, clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing, Environmental groups from Albania and elsewhere in Europe condemned the work, with one prominent local group charging that long-protected habitats are being 'irreversibly destroyed'…. Albania's state anti-corruption agency has confirmed it opened an investigation related to the project but has not disclosed details."

Cimili continued, "The government says the land earmarked for the project is privately owned. But competing claims have emerged questioning the privatization — a common type of legal dispute."

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is realizing that anything legislative might be shut down for the rest of the summer.

Politico reported on Monday that Johnson's leadership circle has realized there's no chance of passing anything immigration related. Politico's Meredith Lee Hill reported that sources told them, "A handful of House GOP hardliners tell us they will tank the rule this week without a plan on [immigration] and more as Johnson struggles to regain control of the House floor."

Johnson already sent the House members home early ahead of the July 4th recess after "the last GOP floor meltdown," Hill added.

On Monday, Johnson was at Camp David with White House officials and legislative affairs staff as they worked through what was next. All Johnson would say, however, is "further specifics will be provided later in the week."

Hill said that "moderates and even some hardliners still need to be convinced."

So, the first step is to stop the internal revolt in the GOP, reported Politico.

Some, like Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), are following President Donald Trump's orders that anything passed must include his voting-related "SAVE America Act." She was responsible for bills being blocked from votes before the July 4 break, leading to the GOP frustration and early exit.

Trump's "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility America Act" has become his red line, meaning the Republican agenda is stalled out until Trump backs down or Republicans force vote in the bill.

Speaking in an interview last week, Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas) said, “Not one member can understand the thought behind it. The hope is that when we come back, we start moving legislation again.”

Another issue is that hard-line conservatives wanted a strong immigration bill, and they got a handshake agreement on it from Johnson. However, the speaker hasn't delivered. So, those Republicans are threatening their own blockade of the House floor, too. Most Republicans have agreed that they can't sign off on the bill that the far-right members are demanding.

The House leadership is so concerned that they're calling the White House to beg for help, the report said. Vice President JD Vance is being dispatched to the caucus lunch on Tuesday to lean on those who refuse to play ball. Most of those GOP members, however, are in safe seats and have already advanced through GOP primaries. It gives the White House zero leverage over them, whereas Trump could persuade GOP lawmakers ahead of their primaries by threatening to pick their opponents for endorsements.

One way the leadership has tried to convince the members is by passing a number of toothless bills critical of things like the Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship or condemning sanctuary cities. They aren't laws, however, and serve little purpose other than congressional finger-wagging.

On the Senate side, the spending battles are “as dead as Woodrow Wilson,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), according to Politico.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is facing heated protests for her support of a policy that critics say led to a wrongful death on Monday.

“Protestors descended on Sen. Susan Collins’ Biddeford office Monday following a deadly shooting that authorities said involved federal immigration agents,” reported Portland Press Herald's Rachel Ohm on Monday. “Dozens of people crowded the entryway of the Main St. office Monday afternoon shouting ‘Vote her out!’ On the street, others carried signs reading, ‘NO ICE’ and ‘Melt ICE.’”

On Monday morning, a 26-year-old man from Colombia was killed by ICE agents at a shooting in the Maine community of Biddleford. Collins is being held partially responsible for his death because the five-term incumbent voted in June to support a $70 billion funding bill for Border Patrol and ICE agents.

“The protest outside Collins’ office was part of a larger demonstration about the shooting,” Ohm reported. “Around noon, about two dozen protestors marched into Collins’ office, but were shooed out minutes later as police arrived.” They reported shouted accusations such as saying Collins was at fault for the shooting and that the officers blocking the protesters were fascists.

Collins has in general been the focus of much criticism for her attempts to depict herself as a moderate while working in lockstep with much of the Trump administration’s agenda. Last month civil rights attorney Azaleea Carlea wrote in the Portland Press Herald about Collins vouching for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh that “Mainers cannot and will not forget Sen. Susan Collins’ critical role in dismantling the nearly half-century-old constitutional right, causing cruelty and chaos to ensue. Either she was foolish or a hypocritical [sic]. Either way, she is not fit to serve another term in the U.S. Senate.”

Similarly, Collins was harshly criticized in June for saying she had not read the roughly two-page memorandum of understanding that Trump was touting as having ended his ongoing war against Iran. Collins serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and yet insisted she had “not yet had a chance to read it." The X account Collins Watch, which regularly criticizes the senator, wrote that “you can't just wait for the elevator doors to close when you get an uncomfortable question in the middle of a town hall...which is probably why Susan Collins hasn't held one since the 1990s."

Collins is also harshly criticized for relying heavily on billionaires in her reelection big. At least 79 billionaires donated to Collins’ fundraising network between January 2025 and May 20, 2026, a number that rises to 97 if one includes billionaires’ spouses as well. Overall they had donated $9.8 million to Collins’ campaign overall since 2025, comprising roughly one-third of what groups supporting Collins have raised from all donors.