Sen. Ben Sasse spoke out against comments President Trump made regarding the crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong.
Trump, in a Tuesday interview with Fox Sports Radio host Clay Travis, suggested that there may be an economic benefit for the United States due to the collapse of freedom in the city, saying, “We will do very well by not having a good competitor.”
Sasse later scolded the president for his remarks.
“There shouldn’t be a shred of doubt about this,” the Nebraska Republican told the Washington Examiner. “The American people are on the side of Hong Kong’s freedom-seekers and against the communist thugs committing human rights abuses. We are Americans, and we take the side of freedom — that’s who we are.”
On Monday, the pair engaged in a feud on Twitter. Trump took a series of executive actions to provide coronavirus relief over the weekend, which Sasse called “unconstitutional slop.” The president responded to the comment on Twitter by writing, “RINO Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he’s got it (Thank you President T), gone rogue, again. This foolishness plays right into the hands of the Radical Left Dems!”
“As we’ve discussed before, I don’t think Twitter is the best place to do this. But, since you moved our conversation from private to public, here we are,” Sasse responded before listing his concerns and concluding, “Happy to move the conversation back to a private channel if you’re interested.”
For months prior, the senator had declined to air his disagreements with the president publicly, for which he received criticism.
