Susan Collins

The national media quickly picked up the story. It was news because after Joe Biden’s presidency, any tremor or suggestion of nodding off is reason to question a candidate’s age and fitness. According to The New York Times, it also became news because Collins disclosed it “amid mounting online scrutiny — pushed in particular by the left — of the shakiness that is often detectable when Ms. Collins speaks, and questions about whether it has worsened over time.”

Klippenstein, an independent journalist who has worked for The Nation and The Intercept, is now taking credit for prodding the media into addressing Collins’s physical condition. As he wrote on Substack, “With a single tweet last week, I forced virtually every major media outlet to finally report“ on Collins’s medical condition.

Whatever you think of his tactics, that much appears to be true.

I have mixed feelings about the situation. Collins could have disclosed her condition sooner, and journalists could have asked about her shaky voice. But absent hard evidence that a physical or mental condition is interfering with job performance, it’s hard to pinpoint the ethical line when it comes to asking about a candidate’s health. A tremor, even if it’s worsening, does not mean Collins can’t handle the job of representing Maine in Washington.

When are these inquiries about physical and cognitive health just an excuse to highlight an opponent’s date of birth? Not that it matters in politics, but is that kind of age-based scrutiny fair? Even if it is, does it have to be pointed out so cruelly? Dumb question, I know, given the desired outcome: Collins’s forced disclosure and the national attention it generated.

Klippenstein has no regrets. In fact, he continues to accuse the media in general of helping Collins cover up what he contends is a more serious condition than she acknowledges.

As for anyone who took offense at his comparison of her tremor to the vibration of “an electric toothbrush,” Klippenstein wrote, “I’d like to apologize for that. On reflection, she shakes more like a chihuahua in the snow.”

On Substack, he also wrote that his interest in Collins’s fitness is not driven by political ideology, and that he has been “just as blunt” about Biden’s decline. But in the Maine Senate race, simply raising doubts about Collins’s health is a boost for Graham Platner, her 41-year-old Democratic opponent, whose youth, energy, and commitment to progressive causes are part of his appeal — never mind his now covered-up neo-Nazi tattoo, and his old sexist and racist Reddit posts.

Biden’s decline seemed obvious even from afar, and journalists should have confronted him about it. President Trump, who weaponized his rhetoric with the nickname “Sleepy Joe,” is now himself appearing to fall asleep during Oval Office sessions, and tweeting incoherently in the middle of the night. That makes his cognitive state fair game, too, as well as his physical health, given his swollen ankles, bruised hands, and blotchy neck.

Collins has served in the Senate since 1997, a tenure she attributes to what she calls a record of independence and bipartisanship. She was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. She voted against her party to preserve the Affordable Care Act. But she also voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, citing her belief that he did not pose a threat to Roe v. Wade — which he subsequently voted to overturn.

Since then, Democrats have increasingly criticized her for expressing deep concerns about Trump policies she later supports. According to a tracker by VoteHub, Collins voted in alignment with Trump nearly 95 percent of the time in 2025.

Her voting record deserves tough scrutiny as she faces a challenge from Platner. But now that her health has become an issue, what about Platner’s?

As reported by the Globe, Platner has disclosed that after military tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has full disability and PTSD, which he also said doesn’t affect his ability to serve in the Senate.

“There are a lot of disabled combat veterans, or just disabled vets, at 100%, who still work,” Platner told WCSH last year. “It’s a very normal thing.” So far, his military service has generated sympathetic coverage.

Having people in elected office who face physical and mental challenges can increase empathy for fellow citizens who face similar issues, as well as raise public awareness about . It’s not as if Collins faces a unique condition, either; One in five adults over the age of 65 have an essential tremor like hers.

If Platner gets the benefit of the doubt on his health issues, why not Collins? Why grace for him, but cruelty for her?