RED OAK, Iowa - Iowa Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst is defending President Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and wants him to sign the defense bill he threatened to veto.
Ernst appeared on CNN's State of the Union Sunday, saying the President said is stepping forward on the pandemic while Democrats tried to block him from trying to shut off travel from virus hot spots. Show host Dana Bash noted that Ernst criticized President Obama in 2014 for failed leadership in the Ebola crisis, which killed two people.
Senator Ernst said the country needs to have a serious conversation about racial injustice and condemned the actions of people who'd destroyed statues during protests.
She said she'd love for President Trump to sign the annual defense authorization bill he's threatened to veto over objections to renaming U.S. military bases honoring Confederate commanders. A Republican led Senate committee has approved he bill with language calling for the name changes.
Ernst said a Des Moines Register poll showing her trailing among women by 20 points should not be believed. The same poll showed her within the margin of error, but trailing Democrat Theresa Greenfield by three points in November's election for Senate.
The first term Senator also spoke about domestic abuse from her first husband, which is included in her book, "Daughter of the Heartland." Ernst said her experience to move on after the abuse and become a military officer and U.S. Senator gives women hope of a better future.