Sasse Slams Trump on Call: A GOP 'Bloodbath' Is Coming

Neb. senator didn't hold back in chat with constituents: 'I've never been on the Trump train'
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2020 7:53 AM CDT
Sasse Slams Trump on Call: A GOP 'Bloodbath' Is Coming
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., speaks during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)

Sen. Ben Sasse had a conference call with 17,000 constituents this week, and probably not unexpectedly, the subject of President Trump came up. What may have been unexpected, however, is what the New York Times calls a "dire nine-minute indictment" by the Nebraska senator on the president. In an audio clip heard by the Washington Examiner, Sasse didn't hold back when asked by one caller why he criticizes the president "so much." Sasse's response initially talked about common ground he shared with Trump, but he soon started slamming him, saying Trump badmouths evangelicals when they're not around, has botched the COVID-19 response, treats women badly, "kisses dictators' butts," throws around money like "a drunken sailor," "sells out our allies," and has "flirted with white supremacists." Sasse also noted the Trump clan "has treated the presidency like a business opportunity."

"I'm now looking at the possibility of a Republican bloodbath in the Senate, and that's why I've never been on the Trump train," Sasse said, per the Times, adding he fears Trump's remarks will push the US more to the left. "We are staring down the barrel of a blue tsunami." A Sasse rep confirms to the Examiner that his boss, up for reelection in Nebraska, made those comments, but he adds "even though the Beltway is obsessing exclusively about the presidential race," the only races Sasse cares about are "the fragile Senate seats that will determine whether Democrats nuke the Senate." Axios notes Sasse has criticized Trump in the past, and that although Trump is currently up by several points over Biden in Nebraska, Sasse's diatribe could help Biden win electoral votes in the state's 2nd Congressional District, which is separate from the rest of Nebraska. (More Ben Sasse stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X