During his visit to Maine, Trump Jr. let Collins off the hook, saying “it doesn’t seem like we actually need that vote.”
Donald Trump Jr. weighed in on Senator Susan Collins’ stance on the Supreme Court vacancy, telling a crowd of supporters that it’s “all good.” Trump Jr. was clear that he’s not worried about Collins, because he knows they don’t actually need her vote to confirm his father’s pick.
ANCHOR: Trump Jr. telling us after his remarks on stage he and his father are not too worried about Senator Collins’ lack of endorsement.
DONALD TRUMP JR.: It doesn’t really matter, you know, my bigger concern is obviously right now with the Supreme Court but it doesn’t seem like we actually need that vote. So you know, she’s got her own way of doing things and it hasn’t really bothered me at all.
Just in case there was any remaining doubt, Trump Jr.’s comments confirm that Senator Collins’ carefully crafted political calculation was made with the blessing of the upper echelons of her party. Trump and McConnell don’t put up with meaningful dissent in the Republican caucus, but once they had the votes to confirm a new Justice with or without her support, Collins got a hall pass to symbolically distance herself from the President in a desperate bid to save her seat.
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