U.S. Representative Mike Collins (R-GA), who has been in Congress since 2022 and is running for U.S. Senate this year to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), is being criticized for comparing himself to President Trump.
Collins wrote Wednesday on social media: “Like President Trump, I’m not a career politician. I’m a businessman. I came up driving trucks, building my small business, and learning that results matter more than rhetoric. Those are the same values President Trump brought to the White House, and it’s what I’ll bring to the Senate.”
Like President Trump, I’m not a career politician.
I’m a businessman. I came up driving trucks, building my small business, and learning that results matter more than rhetoric.
Those are the same values President Trump brought to the White House, and it’s what I’ll bring to…
— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) April 14, 2026
[NOTE: President Trump has not yet endorsed a GOP candidate in the race. In the primary, Collins faces Derek Dooley, a former football coach who has the endorsement of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter. The primary will be held on May 19.]
More than one X user warned Collins of the baggage that comes, for many voters, with the Trump comparison. As one commenter replied: “Aligning with the most corrupt and unfit president in the history of our country might not be the best strategy.”
Gary St. Lawrence, a Democrat running for State Senate in Georgia, who works full-time, “drives a truck, owns guns, and goes to church,” slammed Collins’s proud Trump comparison, writing, “So you want to bring six bankruptcies and 27 failed business ventures to the Senate? Doesn’t seem like a good selling point.”
Last week, Collins shared the video below of him campaigning and wrote: “Believe it or not I actually enjoy campaigning. Going all around the state I’ve grown up in and meeting all the diverse backgrounds and stories that make her tick will never get old.”
Believe it or not I actually enjoy campaigning. Going all around the state I’ve grown up in and meeting all the diverse backgrounds and stories that make her tick will never get old. pic.twitter.com/ObluAkCu9X
— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) April 11, 2026