Trump lashes back at Nebraska Sen. Sasse after criticism
SANFORD, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 12: President Donald Trump speaks during his campaign event at the Orlando Sanford International Airport on October 12, 2020 in Sanford, Florida. Trump was holding his first campaign rally since his coronavirus diagnosis as
President Donald Trump pushed back Saturday at Sen. Ben Sasse on Twitter, calling the Nebraska senator "a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment" to the state.
The president's Twitter attack came after Sasse told constituents in a telephone town hall Wednesday that Trump has "flirted with white supremacists," mocks Christian evangelicals in private, and "kisses dictators' butts."
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse insulted the Houston Astros during the third day of Supreme Court hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Sasse, who is running for a second term in a reliably red state and is seen as a potential presidential candidate for 2024, made the comments in response to a question about why he has been willing to publicly criticize a president of his own party. He also criticized Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and said Trump's family has treated the presidency "like a business opportunity."
Sasse also made headlines earlier this week regarding his comments towards the Houston Astros calling them 'cheaters' during the third day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
Trump tweeted that Sasse is "the least effective of our 53 Republican Senators, and a person who truly doesn't have what it takes to be great."
Trump's tirade continued throughout the day as he compared Sasse to former U.S. Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona, who left the Senate after combative relationships with the president. Trump suggested perhaps Republicans should find "a new and more viable candidate?"
Trump carried Nebraska by 25 percentage points in 2016.
Sasse "said the same thing to Nebraskans that he has repeatedly said to the President directly in the Oval Office," spokesman James Wegmann said in a statement Saturday. "Ben is focused on defending the Republican Senate majority, and he's not going to waste a single minute on tweets."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.