Sen. Angus King

King also said that President Trump is "attempting to govern like a monarch." The independent also accused many of his colleagues of deliberately ignoring what he sees as Trump's violations of the constitution.

The independent senator's appearance Maine Calling yielded a flood of emails and phone calls from people opposing the president's actions. But he says everyone should be worried about the erosion of checks on the president's power and what that means for his successor and American democracy.

The proposal would have direct implications in Maine, where a law has allowed some transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. The Trump administration has threatened to yank the state's share of federal funding, launched a series of investigations and threatened to sue the state.

Maine's two senators have voted opposite of one another on more than a half-dozen of President Trump's Cabinet picks. The latest, vaccine-skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will now lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Russell Vought formerly led the Office of Management and Budget. But he was also a key architect of Project 2025, the conservative playbook that appears to be influencing many of Trump's recent actions.

Maine 2nd District U.S. Rep. Jared Golden has generally refrained from criticizing President Trump. But he suggested the president is being sidelined by the world's richest man.

Gabbard, a former congresswoman and an Army Reserve officer, faced challenging questions from senators on both sides of the aisle during her confirmation hearing to become director of national intelligence.

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey joined more than 20 of his Democratic colleagues in suing to block the budget move while members of Maine's delegation called for congressional action.

Sen. Angus King said the newly implemented hiring freeze of the federal workforce should not apply to direct-care workers. Doug Collins said he'll make sure that veterans have access to the care they need but did not commit to pursuing exceptions to the hiring freeze.

The nominee can only afford to lose three GOP senators if Democrats unite against him so attention could now shift to Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and other potential swing votes.