President Donald Trump clashed with Republican Senator Susan Collins in an angry phone call after she voted against one of his top priorities.
The president allegedly made a “profane” call to the vulnerable Republican senator on Thursday, sources told The Hill. Collins was one of five GOP senators who joined with Democrats to advance a resolution on the War Powers Act out of committee to the floor, which passed on a 52-47 vote earlier in the day.
“He was very mad about the vote,” the source told The Hill. “Very mad. Very hot.”
Senators Susan Collins (left) and Lisa Murkowski (right) both voiced fierce opposition to the United States trying to buy or invade Greenland on Wednesday. / Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The resolution will block the president’s ability to use military force against Venezuela following the capture of the country’s President, Nicolás Maduro, by the United States. This throws a wrench in Trump’s plans to seize Venezuelan oil.
The source told The Hill that the president “basically read him the riot act,” in a phone call that came “out of the blue.” Collins’ office confirmed to The Hill that the call took place, but did not include any additional details about what the president said. The Daily Beast has reached out to the senator’s representatives and the White House for comment.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with US oil company executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on January 9, 2026. / SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
In addition to Collins, Republican senators Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young also voted to advance the war powers resolution. The move made Trump angry. He posted at length about the five conservative lawmakers on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators who just voted with the Democrats in an attempt to take away our powers to fight and defend the United States of America,” Trump wrote. “Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again.”
More than two hundred people take part in the “Hands off Venezuela” protest against the US military action to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Cologne, Germany, on January 8, 2026. / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Collins is up for re-election this year and faces a tight race as Democratic challengers gain popularity. Her seat will be important for Republicans to keep control of the Senate after the midterms. However, Trump has been a thorn in his party’s side, openly expressing his desire to see Collins out. This last call seems to reaffirm his animosity towards the senator.
“The president is obviously not happy with the vote,” Collins told reporters after Trump’s ire. “I think that means he’d rather have Gov. Mills or someone else with whom he didn’t have a great relationship. I don’t know, I’m not going to comment.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets Armstrong Oil and Gas founder and CEO Bill Armstrong as he arrives for a meeting with oil and gas executives in the East Room of the White House on January 9, 2026 in Washington, DC. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The President faced pressure and criticism after the operation in Venezuela that ended in the capture of Maduro. While Maduro is in custody awaiting trial, Trump has announced plans for the United States to “run” Venezuela and sell millions of barrels of its oil.
Trump met with top oil executives from companies such as Chevron and Exxon on Friday to discuss Venezuela’s oil infrastructure. However, the president, who is 79 years old, quickly went off topic, stopping the meeting to wax poetic about the White House ballroom that is currently under construction.