President Trump told Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Iowa state officials on Monday, “You’re gonna love the Supreme Court nominee,” while addressing their concerns about ethanol and tariffs.
Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, tweeted “@realDonaldTrump on impromptu speaker call with #Iowa commissioners, talking about the importance of #trade deals and #ethanol.”
[Update: Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court]
@realDonaldTrump on impromptu speaker call with #Iowa commissioners, talking about the importance of #trade deals and #ethanol pic.twitter.com/dEUmpLwNnI
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) July 9, 2018
An aide privy to the call from Trump said the president had called Ernst as she was walking into a meeting with Iowa state officials, and she put him on speaker.
Trump talked for five to 10 minutes, hitting on major issues that Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have been addressing with farmers affected by Trump’s tariff decisions and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s management of the nation’s ethanol mandate, said the aide.
The president talked directly about how he is working closely with Grassley and Ernst on trade issues, ethanol, and supporting the farmers, the aide explained. Trump “also said, ‘You’re gonna love the Supreme Court nominee,'” which was very well received in the room, the aide said.
