Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday that President Trump should “be more careful in his language,” noting his off-hand and cryptic pronouncements are heavily scrutinized across the globe.
“I think what the president needs to realize is that his words really matter,” Ms. Collins, Maine Republican, told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “When he makes an off-the-hand comments like, ’the calm before the storm,’ as he did recently, both our enemies and our allies analyze that comment to figure out what it means.”
“He does not have the luxury that he had when he was in the private sector of saying whatever comes into his mind,” added Ms. Collins, who has decided to remain in the Senate instead of pursuing the governor’s chair back home.
Ms. Collins was responding to questions about Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who traded barbs with Mr. Trump last week and criticized him in The New York Times, saying the president could lead the U.S. into “World War III” if he isn’t careful.
Mr. Trump had claimed that Mr. Corker desperately sought his endorsement before deciding to retire instead of facing reelection. The senator responded by quipping that someone missed his “adult day care” shift at the White House.
Ms. Collins said the Twitter war wasn’t “particularly productive, but the president needs to remember that every word he speaks matters now that he is president of the United States.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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