On Wednesday, September 23, the Maine Democratic Party hosted a virtual roundtable with State Senator Dave Miramant, Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra, and Maine small business owners to discuss how Trump’s failed pandemic response has impacted their livelihoods and upended Maine’s tourism economy.
You can watch a recording of the full event here or read excerpts from the participants below:
“When Donald Trump ran for President in 2016, he made a lot of promises about how he would make America’s economy great again,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “He made the point constantly that his experience in business made him the right choice to lead America’s economy. But as we approach the end of Trump’s first term, with small businesses in crisis in Maine and across the country, it’s clear that Trump was not the right person for the job.”
“It’s just an amazing ball drop by the [Trump] administration,” said State Senator Dave Miramant. “We need to step up soon to transition to a working democracy again, one that puts people in charge who can lead. And that will help us here in Maine with our small businesses, because most Maine businesses are small businesses.”
“My wife and I co-run the Gem Theater, a small independent theater in Bethel, and our doors have been closed to the public since March 15th,” said Wade Kavanaugh, a small business owner from Bethel, Maine. “It’s been an absolutely wild past six months. Bracketing the six months of lost revenue, I would say the most frustrating part of being closed has been the wild, wild west atmosphere that Trump has fostered with his campaign of misinformation.”
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