Fact check
“President Donald Trump’s approval ratings were dragging Collins down in the polls.”
Reasoning
The ProPublica article explicitly states that President Donald Trump’s dismal approval ratings were dragging Senator Susan Collins down in the polls. This provides direct textual support for the claim, though the article does not cite specific poll numbers, so the causal link is reported rather than independently confirmed.
On confidence: The claim is directly quoted in a reputable investigative article, but the article presents it as an analysis rather than independently verified polling data.
Important context
The statement reflects the article's assessment of the political environment in 2019, linking Trump’s low approval to Collins’s electoral challenges.
Evidence
Supporting (1)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceFBI Eyed Susan Collins Over Defense Contractor’s Donations — ProPublica
weeks of 2019, a top fundraiser for Sen. Susan Collins walked into a perilous meeting at a Corner Bakery in Washington, D.C. For the first time in her two-decade Senate career, the Republican lawmaker from Maine was in danger of losing her…
Limitations
The source does not provide the underlying poll data or independent verification of the causal relationship, so the claim rests on the article's analysis rather than primary polling evidence.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 4:24 AM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the WayProPublica · William Turton