Sen. Ben Sasse, who traveled to Iowa to campaign against Donald Trump last week, Wednesday rated the list of GOP presidential candidates according to his own definition of conservatism, and concluded that Trump ranks at the bottom of his list, and it's not because the billionaire businessman called him a
"gym rat."
"Mr. Trump is not only witty and funny, frankly as a son of a football and wrestling coach, I will take gym rat," the Nebraska Republican told
Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "He could have gone after my teeth, but gym rat, I'm going to own that 100 percent."
Trump, though, is "an unknown" said Sasse. "He says if people screw you, screw them back."
Further, said Sasse, it "feels like he might be advised by Lois Lerner," the former Internal Revenue Service official tagged in the targeting tea party and conservative organizations.
"That's not what we need to make America great again. What I hear from Nebraskans [is that], while he's great at diagnosis, we don't know what he's for. He's right that America is in a crisis, but that isn't a joke. It's a serious matter."
Meanwhile, he finds Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who came out ahead of Trump in Monday's Iowa caucuses, is a "consistent guy, a Constitutional conservative."
And while there are some who say Cruz is the most conservative, Sasse believes "there are a whole bunch of pro-Constitution guys and gals running in this primary."
He had good things also to say about Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who "paints a vision of American greatness" built on the Constitution, and Carly Fiorina, who is a "capable, able, practical leader. I think she is a breath of fresh air."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, meanwhile is a tough former prosecutor who wants to take the fight to ISIS and al-Qaida, and is willing to talk about entitlement reform.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, is inspirational, said Sasse, and "we need more Ben Carsons in Washington."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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