Trump, 79, Explodes at GOP Senator in Profanity-Filled Call
President Donald Trump spoke to Republican Sen. Susan Collins in an expletive-filled phone call after she voted against one of his top priorities.
The president reportedly made an “abusive” call to a defenseless Republican senator on Thursday. Sources told The Hill. Collins was one of five GOP senators who joined Democrats in pushing a resolution on the War Powers Act from committee to the floor, which passed earlier in the day on a 52-47 vote.
“He was very angry about the vote,” the source told The Hill. “I’m so angry. So hot.”
Senators Susan Collins (left) and Lisa Murkowski (right) expressed strong opposition to the United States acquiring or occupying Greenland on Wednesday. / Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The decision would block the president’s ability to use military force against Venezuela after the United States captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. This disrupts Trump’s plans to seize Venezuelan oil.
The source told The Hill that the president “basically read him the sedition 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.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with executives of U.S. oil companies in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2026. / SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
Along with Collins, Republican senators Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Josh Hawley and Todd Young also voted to advance the war powers resolution. This move angered Trump. He posted at length about five conservative MPs on the social media platform Truth Social.
“Republicans should be ashamed of Senators who vote with Democrats, trying to take away our authority to fight and defend the United States of America,” Trump said. “Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again.”
More than two hundred people attended the “Hands Off Venezuela” protest in Cologne, Germany, on January 8, 2026, against America’s military action to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Collins is up for re-election this year and faces a tight race as Democratic challengers gain popularity. His seat will be important for Republicans to maintain control of the Senate after the midterm elections. But Trump caused trouble for his party by openly expressing his desire to see Collins out. This latest call appears to reaffirm his hostility towards the senator.
‘The President is clearly unhappy with the vote,’ Collins said he told reporters I’ve been following Trump’s anger. “I guess that means he’ll go for Governor Mills or someone else he doesn’t have a good relationship with. I don’t know, I just won’t comment.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets Bill Armstrong, founder and CEO of Armstrong Oil and Gas, 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 following the operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro in Venezuela. While Maduro was in custody awaiting trial, Trump announced US plans to “rule” Venezuela and sell millions of barrels of oil.
On Friday, Trump met with leading oil executives from companies such as Chevron and Exxon to discuss Venezuela’s oil infrastructure. But the 79-year-old president quickly digressed, pausing the meeting to wax poetic about the White House ballroom currently under construction.
