Trump’s tariffs loom over Maine Senate race between Collins and Jackson

PORTLAND, Maine — The same week President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on imported steel , the domestic supplier of the wire mesh Mark Brooks uses to make lobster traps in Maine hiked prices by 20%. When diesel prices began rising as the U.S. war with Iran escalated, Brooks started paying freight surcharges on his materials and saw sales slow as lobstermen tightened their belts. And when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slapped 50% tariffs on U.S. lobster traps in September as retaliation for Trump's own duties on Canadian goods, the roughly $2 million in annual shipments Brooks typically sends over the northern border dried up virtually overnight.