Sen. Susan Collins' Head, Hands and Voice Appear Shaky in New Video — Months After She Said It 'Does Not Hinder My Ability to Work'

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins recently drew widespread attention online after a lengthy video interview with Politico, recorded at a lobster shack in Maine, in which her head, hands, and voice were visibly shaking.

The viral Politico interview features the 73-year-old Republican senator eating chowder while navigating prominent physical symptoms. In response to online speculation regarding her health, Collins previously disclosed that she has a benign essential tremor, an extremely common movement disorder.

The intense online focus on the Politico video comes at a critical political juncture, as Collins is currently running for a sixth term in the Senate.

Addressing the online attention to her appearance, Collins clarified that she has lived with this condition throughout her 30-year career in the Senate.

The physical tremor can affect her hands, head, and voice while speaking.

Medical experts note that essential tremors are strictly physical movement disorders; they are not neurodegenerative diseases and are not associated with any cognitive or memory decline.

Collins emphasized that the condition is occasionally inconvenient but has absolutely no impact on her health or her ability to perform her congressional duties.

She stated that she has managed the condition with medication for the entirety of her nearly three-decade career in the U.S. Senate, though it has become more noticeable as she has aged.

She continues to maintain one of the most resilient attendance records in Senate history, with a streak of nearly 10,000 consecutive votes without missing a single day.

"The tremor is occasionally inconvenient, and sometimes the subject of cruel comments online, but it does not hinder my ability to work and, as I said, is something that I have lived with for decades,” Collins said in a May statement.

Dr. Rees Cosgrove, chief of the Division of Functional Neurosurgery at Mass General Brigham and an expert on movement disorders, emphasized that essential tremors are strictly a physical condition, not a mental one.

It is entirely unrelated to neurodegenerative conditions such as cognitive decline, memory impairment, Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease.

While the tremor tends to worsen slowly over time and can be "socially and professionally embarrassing," Dr. Cosgrove noted that it is not incapacitating.

Collins faces a tight, highly competitive reelection race in Maine against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, with recent polls showing Jackson holding a narrow edge or the race locked within the margin of error.