Republican Senator Sasse rips Trump over COVID-19, foreign policy

Republican US Senator Ben Sasse told Nebraska constituents in a telephone town hall meeting that President Donald Trump has “flirted with white supremacists”, mocks Christian evangelicals in private, and “kisses dictators’ butts”. Sasse, who is running for a second term representing the reliably Republican state, made the comments in response to a question about why he has been willing to publicly criticise a president of his own party. He also criticised Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and said his family has treated the presidency “like a business opportunity”. The comments were first reported by the Washington Examiner after it obtained an audio recording of the senator’s comments, which has been posted on YouTube. Sasse’s spokesman James Wegmann said the call occurred on Wednesday. Two other Nebraska Republicans, US Representative Dan Bacon and state Republican executive director Ryan Hamilton, told the Omaha World-Herald that they disagree with Sasse’s characterisations of the president. “Senator Sasse is entitled to his own opinion,” US Representative Adrian Smith, another Nebraska Republican, said in a statement. “I appreciate what President Trump has accomplished for our country and will continue to work with him on efforts which help Nebraska.” style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">