Politics

Murkowski, Sullivan implore Trump to lay off the angry tweets

WASHINGTON — Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan chimed in on Twitter outrage Thursday over President Donald Trump's unsavory attack on the hosts of the MSNBC news show "Morning Joe."

"Stop it! The Presidential platform should be used for more than bringing people down," Murkowski tweeted Thursday. In another tweet directed at the president, Murkowski asked, "Do you want to be remembered for your tweets or your accomplishments?"

Soon after, Sullivan responded too, saying he hoped Trump would put a stop to his online behavior.

"I've said repeatedly that President's tweets insulting others don't help country or advance the civility & respect we sorely need right now," Sullivan said. In a second tweet, "I hope that these cease and we can focus on moving our country forward," he said.

Murkowski and Sullivan, both Republicans, joined several senators who responded to Trump’s tweets saying that he had heard that co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough had negative things to say about him on “Morning Joe,” a show he once followed. Trump has since switched his focus to “Fox & Friends” on the Fox News channel.

Trump said that “low I.Q. Crazy Mika” and “Psycho Joe” came to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, for three nights around New Year’s and “insisted on joining” him. “She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!” Trump tweeted.

Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also rebuked Trump, citing his behavior as unbecoming of the office of the presidency.

Erica Martinson

Erica Martinson is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News based in Washington, D.C.

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