Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is calling on President Donald Trump to send a stronger message against domestic abuse after the resignation of two White House aides.
“I think (President Trump) needs to send a stronger message, a stronger message,” Ernst told CNN’s John Berman on Tuesday. “We need to allow women and men that have been abused to come out, make sure their stories are heard and believed.”
She added, “I’m extremely disappointed in this situation. Abuse is never OK.”
Former staff secretary Rob Porter and speechwriter David Sorensen, who both deny the allegations against them, resigned last week.
Trump told reporters on Friday that Porter’s departure was “very sad” and that “he did a very good job while he was in the White House.” The President did not express any sympathy for the women Porter allegedly abused, instead focusing on Porter’s claim of innocence.
On Saturday, the President took to Twitter to lament that “lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” putting himself at odds with the sharp change in how society responds to women’s allegations of abuse.
