James DuPrie was initially skeptical of President Donald Trump’s aggressive new tariff policies.

But the more time that passed, the more the trade wars made sense to the retired executive from the York County town of Lebanon. Now, he feels Trump’s sweeping efforts to raise the levies on imports from other countries are working well.

“My after-the-fact impression is he was using it as a negotiation tool,” DuPrie, 63, said last week before walking into a York County Republican Committee meeting in Alfred. “I think it played out well.”

As Tuesday brought the one-year mark of Trump’s second go-round in the White House, his Maine supporters gave the president high marks.

In recent interviews, more than a dozen Republican voters in the state had only minor grievances with the president. They said they approved of his handling of the economy, immigration and of what DuPrie called a “peace through strength” foreign policy agenda.

Still, they acknowledged the challenges that came during his first year back in office: drops in tourism, the consequences of tariffs in a state that borders Canada and a flurry of policy changes that have been hard for businesses to keep up with.

The interviews match polling data. Trump continues to have solid backing from Republicans around the country — particularly from those who voted for him in 2024. Maine voters, who have sent most of the state’s electoral votes to Democratic presidential candidates in recent decades, are no exception.

What is less clear is whether Trump’s policies will boost GOP candidates in key midterm elections this fall. Maine voters will decide races for governor, U.S. Senate and House, and the state Legislature.

But it appears Trump supporters are unlikely to abandon him.

“I think he’s doing everything we voted for,” DuPrie said.

THE CONSEQUENTIAL WHITE HOUSE ENCOUNTER

Things started to change for Maine after an intense episode in February.

At an event at the White House, Trump and Gov. Janet Mills publicly squabbled over the state’s policy around transgender athletes in women’s and girls sports. They threatened each other with legal action.

Then came the investigations.

The Trump administration opened probes into Maine over its transgender athlete policies. Various federal agencies then zeroed in on everything from the University of Maine System to a marine science grant and a Social Security program for newborn babies.

Judges and Maine’s members of Congress, particularly U.S. Sen. Susan Collins — the lone Republican in the delegation — intervened to halt or reverse some of those moves, but millions of dollars meant for Maine were cut or remain frozen.

Collins’ office did not respond to a request for comment on Trump’s first year back in office, nor did Maine Republican Party leaders. (Maine GOP Chair Jim Deyermond complained to a reporter outside a York County meeting about the newspaper’s coverage.)

But everyday Maine Republicans who agreed to be interviewed placed the blame over the federal tension on Mills. Melanie Mitchell, a York County Republican, said the governor is on the wrong side of the transgender athlete issue and “should be in handcuffs.”

TERMINATED FEDERAL FUNDING

The state of Maine has lost about $105.3 million in federal funding to Trump cuts, according to data provided by Department of Administrative and Financial Services spokesperson Sharon Huntley.

More than half of that total stems from a single Solar for All program award worth nearly $62 million. It was meant to help low-income and disadvantaged households access renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Maine and more than 20 other states remain in a court battle with the Trump administration over the money.

An additional $101.3 million was frozen and then restored, according to Huntley.

The state’s tally does not include dozens of awards totaling $26.7 million for the University of Maine System that the Trump administration had terminated as of December, according to Samantha Warren, a system spokesperson. (Another $2.6 million in awards has been paused while $53 million has been restored.)

Mills, who is termed out of the Blaine House this year and is running in the Democratic primary for Collins’ U.S. Senate seat, said in a statement that Trump “has abused his power by targeting states, cities, institutions and political opponents that dare to disagree with him, while the federal government’s support for science, for public health, for farms, for consumers and industry have diminished to a critical extent.”

But GOP voters like DuPrie, the Lebanon man, said Trump responded appropriately to Maine’s decision not to follow his executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

“Of course, that means our schools are going to suffer,” said DuPrie. “And our schools already suck.”

IMMIGRATION A SIGNATURE ISSUE

Trump vowed to conduct a massive deportation campaign once he returned to office, and he has followed through on that pledge.

The past week has brought Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Maine, particularly Lewiston and Portland, in operations akin to those that have occurred in Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.

ICE had already reported a spike in Maine apprehensions in the past year, with 230 people detained between last January and mid-October, per the Deportation Data Project. The data indicated more than one in three of those detainees had no criminal record.

The U.S. Border Patrol’s Houlton Sector in northern Maine touted its record-high number of arrests in fiscal year 2025, with 725 people apprehended as of Oct. 1 — shattering the previous record by 100 arrests. The agency did not reveal how many of those arrested had criminal records.

The administration’s actions on immigration have been some of the most polarizing of the past year. Critics contend federal authorities are disrupting communities, as well as the economy, which in many places relies on immigrant workers. They’ve also taken issue with aggressive tactics.

Robert and Cathy Meisner, independents from Turner, likened Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts to Nazi Germany.

“ICE — I’m totally against that,” said Cathy Meisner, 72. “They’re brutal.”

Supporters, meanwhile, are happy to see Trump following through on a key campaign promise.

Landen Arsenault, a 22-year-old electrician from Leeds, said Trump’s first year in office “is going pretty good.” He’s particularly pleased with the president’s handling of border issues.

He said taxpayer funds shouldn’t be supporting “people that aren’t even supposed to be here.”

“If you look at just this area around Turner and Leeds, you have a lot of blue-collar people and people who are working, and our tax money is going to people who are doing the complete opposite,” Arsenault said during a recent interview. “I myself just don’t see how that’s fair.”

TAKING ISSUE WITH TRUMP

In Turner, a town that voted 62% for Trump in 2024, interviews with residents revealed mixed reactions to the president’s performance, though Republicans were largely in support. (Trump won 45% of the vote in Maine overall last election.)

Wayne Greenlaw, 74, of Buckfield, said Trump is “doing a great job.” Greenlaw is particularly pleased with Trump “cutting down on the drug people coming into the country.”

Nationwide, violent crimes fell about 10% from Nov. 2024 to Nov. 2025, according to the Real Time Crime Index, which collects data from law enforcement agencies around the country. Researchers and politicians offer numerous explanations for the drop.

Still, not everyone is happy, including some conservatives who feel the political climate has become more polarized under Trump.

“To be honest, I’m not impressed,” said Sheena Hall, a 39-year-old mom from Greene who voted for Trump three times. Hall said she has become frustrated with federal politics in general under Trump, and said the parties seem to be fighting more than ever.

“I’ll vote locally, but I feel like voting federally just doesn’t matter anymore,” Hall said.

Some of the people Trump has surrounded himself with, such as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, a former Trump adviser, make Hall uneasy, she said. She sees a “lot of talk” with little action from Trump. Just look at cost of living, she said, another signature issue Trump ran on, and the top issue for many voters according to polls.

“He’s saying grocery prices are down. Where?” Hall said. “I don’t see that.”