This letter ran in The Ellsworth American, Sept. 8, 2026
To the Editor:
President Trump has shared his views on affordability many times since becoming the 47th President.
“There’s this fake narrative that the Democrats talk about – affordability… It doesn’t mean anything to anybody,” claims Donald Trump multiple times. He has also called affordability a “hoax.” And in May 2026, he said, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody.” Just like with everything else, if he denies something exists often enough, he thinks most Americans will believe it.
But how do you feel when you fill up your gas tank and see that gas is $4.12 a gallon or that diesel is at an all-time high of $5.82 a gallon? Or when you are at the grocery store and your grocery bill goes up every week? Or when you get your electric bill, and it is much higher than it was when Trump took office? Or any of the other expenses you pay like your insurance bills, property taxes, heating bills and childcare?
After almost two years Trump is still trying to blame Joe Biden or the greedy corporations when it is his chaotic tariffs and the war in Iran that is driving up costs for you and your family. As we know, nothing is ever his fault, despite his promises to lower prices on day one.
And what has Susan Collins done to make your life more affordable? She supported the war in Iran, driving up energy and food prices. And she has been mum on tariffs until recently when she finally spoke out against Trump’s ridiculous tariffs with Maine’s largest trading partner, Canada. Her concerned response was “I still think imposing new tariffs on Canada is a mistake,” Collins told NewsCenter Maine in an interview. And Paul LePage was all in on Trump’s tariffs until very recently when he, too, turned against them.
In January, Trump said, “(She) should never be elected to Congress again.”
Vote for Troy Jackson and Matt Dunlap who will help the working people of Maine and not the wealthy oligarchs.
Gary Loft
Lamoine