Joni Ernst doesn't 'appreciate' Trump's rhetoric, doesn't believe he's a racist

BOONE, Ia. — President Donald Trump’s rhetoric detracts from substantive work being done in Washington, D.C., and undermines the United States’ relationships with other countries, Sen. Joni Ernst said Monday.

But she defended him against the charge that he is racist.

Ernst, R-Iowa, stood up to the president — and stood up for him — in response to questions during a town meeting here, her first public event of the new year.

“Believe me, as a senator, I don’t appreciate so much of my time is being spent answering questions about the latest that our president has said instead of asking me questions about the legislation that I’m actually working on,” she said in response to a question from Jerry Bradley, a Vietnam veteran and retired teacher from Des Moines.

Comments from Trump using a vulgar term to describe Haiti, El Salvador and countries in Africa have drawn condemnation in recent days and opened a broad discussion over whether he holds racist views.

“I don’t appreciate the rhetoric,” Ernst said. “What I can say is that I do support some of the policies that we’re working on.”

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She went on to address Trump’s “shithole” comments specifically, cautioning that she wasn’t at the meeting in which Trump is said to have made the remark.

“It’s really important that we’re recognizing that we have good allies out there. We have good friends in other nations and we need to work with those good partners,” Ernst said. “We need to treat them with dignity and respect.”

Moments later, another attendee raised the question of Trump’s views more directly: Is the president racist?

“Deep inside, no, I don’t think he’s a racist,” Ernst replied, drawing groans from the crowd. “I think he’s brash and he says things that are on his mind, but I don’t truly believe that he’s a racist.”

Bradley, the Des Moines man who asked the initial question about Trump, said afterward he wasn’t satisfied with Ernst’s responses.

“I’m sorry, but I would prefer someone just say, ‘What he said was wrong and he should apologize,’” Bradley said in an interview after the meeting.

Ernst also indicated strong support on Monday for legislation providing permanent legal status to the immigrants known as “Dreamers” who were brought to the country illegally as children. Trump last year moved to end a program shielding them from prosecution, setting up a March deadline for Congress to act on a longer-term fix.

“This is a really, really, really important issue that we have to fix right now,” she said, adding that she sees widespread support for permanent legal status even among “conservatives and Republicans.”

“Probably 90 percent or better say we need a permanent solution,” Ernst said. “They are part of our communities and we can’t let them go. They need to be here. And I agree.”

But, she added, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program deal must come with additional security measures along the southern border including a physical wall in some places and enhanced surveillance and improved response time for border agents elsewhere.

Ernst’s comments come as Trump has suggested a deal on DACA is “dead” and cast blame on Democrats for refusing to negotiate. In a news conference following the town meeting, she shared the view that Democrats are not dealing in good faith, but expressed hope that something could be worked out.

“I still see hope,” she said. “I think the president kind of throws things out there hoping to get reactions. Hopefully we’ll have the reaction I’d like to see, which is Republicans and Democrats coming together to find a solution.”

“We need border protection and we need to make sure we are taking care of our Dreamers,” she went on. “They’re important in our communities and we need to figure out what that solution is for them. I hate that they’re in limbo. They shouldn’t be.”