Republican Rep. Steve King was reportedly not allowed to fly on Air Force One after President Trump visited his home state of Iowa Tuesday.
The controversial representative who represents a district in the western part of the state asked the White House to join the delegation flying on Trump’s jet but was denied a seat aboard Air Force One, according to CNN.
Republican Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Deb Fischer of Nebraska joined the president on the iconic jet in addition to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and others.
Republicans stripped King, 70, of his committee assignments after he was roundly rebuked for remarks he made during a January New York Times interview that were seen as racist. King claims the comments were misinterpreted.
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King said in the interview. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
King is facing a primary challenge from Iowa state Sen. Randy Feenstra, who outraised him by a large margin during the first quarter of the year.
