GOP Sen. Joni Ernst faults Trump for Jan. 6 ‘hostages’ remarks
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, criticized former President Donald Trump on Sunday for his use of the word “hostages” to describe his supporters who were imprisoned in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, saying there’s “no comparison” between their incarceration and the plight of those taken hostage by Hamas after the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
At an event in Iowa last week, Trump said President Joe Biden “ought to release the J6 hostages. They’ve suffered,” using the abbreviation for Jan. 6. “I call them hostages,” he said. “Some people call them prisoners. I call them hostages. Release the J6 hostages, Joe. Release them, Joe. You can do it real easy, Joe.”
On NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, moderator Kristen Welker asked Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who recently traveled to the Middle East with other lawmakers as part of efforts to secure the release of remaining American hostages, whether the former president’s characterization of the Jan. 6 rioters bothers her.
“It does in this context because we do have American hostages that are being held against their will all around the globe, and especially if you look at the innocents that were attacked and kidnapped on Oct. 7,” Ernst said. “We are approaching nearly 100 days. These are people that have been taken. They’re held in tunnels with terrorists, they are being tortured, they have been raped, they have been denied medication. So equating the two, there is no comparison.”
“The hostages are hostages,” she added. “I would certainly, you know, ask to speak to any of their families and see the anguish and the pain of not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or dead. There is a very clear difference.”
With one day until the Iowa caucuses, NBC News Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd discusses the possible outcomes and explores what a strong second-place showing would mean for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst doesn't rule out endorsing Trump, but calls Nikki Haley 'a great candidate'
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, declined on Sunday to endorse a Republican presidential candidate a day before the Iowa caucuses, but said she would not rule out backing former President Donald Trump if he wins in the state.
In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Ernst also said when asked about former United Nations Amb. Nikki Haley’s favorable polling in a general election matchup against Biden that Haley is "a great candidate” and has experience on key issues that could resonate with Iowa Republicans.
Trump has a nearly 30-point lead in the final NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll before Monday’s caucuses. The poll also shows Haley narrowly ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with 20% versus his 16%.
“Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker asked Ernst about her response to recent polling.
“In our poll [Haley] comes in second place,” Welker said. “But if you look at the polls overall, she does best against President Biden in a general election campaign. Former President Trump is tied effectively with President Biden. If Republicans want to win back the White House, is Nikki Haley your best bet?”
Ernst responded that “if you look at the issues that are top of mind for Iowa Republicans, they are the economy, they’ve suffered under President Biden, it is the southern border and the flow of illegal migrants into the United States. But overall, if you look at national security, protecting our borders, and pushing back against our adversaries worldwide, Nikki Haley does have the experience there, and she’s really spoke to that to the Iowa voters. So that may be one of the tipping points that resonate with so many different voters.”
Asked whether she plans to endorse whichever candidate emerges as the winner after the Iowa caucuses, Ernst said, “it’ll depend, I have gone round and round in my mind,” and acknowledged that Trump is the front-runner in the race thus far.
“But it’s not a foregone conclusion,” she said. “So we’ll see who comes out the winner here in the Iowa caucuses. We’ll know that tomorrow night, and then we’ll know how to move forward.”
Poll: Nearly half of Haley’s Iowa backers say they’ll vote for Biden over Trump
DES MOINES, Iowa — Most likely Republican Iowa caucusgoers say they’ll vote for former President Donald Trump in the general election if he’s the GOP nominee, regardless of the candidate they’re supporting on caucus night.
That is, except supporters of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, with nearly half of them — 43% — saying they’d vote for Democratic President Joe Biden over Trump.
These new findings from the latest NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of Iowa further illustrate the degree to which Haley is bringing in support from independents, Democrats and Republicans who have been uneasy with Trump’s takeover of the GOP. Fully half of her Iowa caucus supporters are independents or crossover Democrats, according to the survey results. Overall, Haley took 20% for second place in the survey, compared to 48% for Trump.
The poll also shows three-quarters of caucusgoers believing Trump can defeat Biden despite the former president’s legal challenges. But again, a majority of Haley’s supporters think it will be nearly impossible for Trump to win.
“I am more officially a Democrat who used to be a Republican and have kind of switched over, and basically I’m wanting to caucus in Iowa for the least of the worst,” said 37-year-old poll respondent Chelsea Cheney of Linn County.
“And in looking through all of them, I think that’s Nikki Haley,” Cheney added. “I don’t necessarily love her, but I don’t find her dangerous in ways that I find many of the other candidates dangerous.”
Pollster J. Ann Selzer, who has been conducting this Iowa survey over the last three decades, said, “Haley is consolidating the anti-Trump vote. She does well with the people who define themselves as anti-Trump.”
First-time Iowa caucusgoers could fuel a big win for Trump
Former President Donald Trump isn’t just looking to win Iowa’s GOP caucuses on Monday. He’s looking for a big win.
For that, he’ll need supporters like Gene Pinegar to show up. Pinegar, a 72 year-old veteran from Marshall County, has never attended a Republican caucus before. A self-described independent, he registered with the Republican Party just so he can participate this year and support the former president.
“Donald Trump deserves me going, with all the crap that the Democrats put him through,” Pinegar told NBC News in a phone interview on Saturday morning. “You know, I can stand up for him, too.”
A new NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of likely Iowa caucusgoers released Saturday finds Trump dominating among first-time caucusgoers, with 56% saying he is their first-choice candidate.
Just 14% back former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, while 13% support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and 11% back entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
That translates to more support for Trump and Ramaswamy among first-time caucusgoers than among likely caucusgoers overall, and slightly less support for Haley and DeSantis than among the total GOP electorate, according to the poll. The overall results are 48% for Trump, 20% for Haley, 16% for DeSantis and 8% for Ramaswamy.
Final Iowa poll: Trump maintains dominant lead before caucuses
DES MOINES, Iowa — Boosted by his standing with evangelical Christians, first-time caucusgoers and registered Republicans, former President Donald Trump holds a nearly 30-point lead in the final NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll before Monday’s GOP caucuses.
The poll also finds Trump enjoying the backing of the most enthusiastic and committed likely caucusgoers, which could be crucial as the state grapples with subzero temperatures and even colder wind chills on caucus night.
“I know there’s a lot of controversy on him, but I just feel like he’s the man for the job right now,” said 34-year-old poll respondent Owen Monds of Des Moines, who said he’s caucusing for Trump. “You know, I don’t feel like anybody else who’s running is really qualified like he is.”
The poll shows former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley narrowly edging past Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second place, although the gap is within the poll’s margin of error.
Yet while Haley’s first-choice support has ticked up, just 9% of her supporters say they’re extremely enthusiastic about her candidacy — substantially lower than the enthusiasm for Trump and even DeSantis.
“There is underlying weakness here,” pollster J. Ann Selzer said of Haley’s standing. “If turnout is low, it seems to me that a disproportionate share of her supporters might stay at home.”