Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) said Sunday that President Trump needs to understand that his words matter.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Collins was asked whether she shared the concerns of Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who called the White House an “adult day care center” and issued a warning about Trump’s rhetoric.
Collins said she has “enormous respect” for Corker.
She added that Trump has surrounded himself with good and experienced members of his national security team.
{mosads}”I think what the president needs to realize is that his words really matter,” Collins said.
“When he makes an off-the-hand comment 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,” she continued.
“He does not have the luxury that he had when he was in the private sector of saying whatever comes into his mind.”
Collins also said she doesn’t believe the Twitter war between Corker and Trump is “productive.”
“The president needs to remember that his every word he speaks matters now that he’s president of the United States,” Collins said.
Trump feuded with Corker over Twitter last week, saying Corker begged him for his endorsement, but Trump declined.
Corker pushed back against Trump’s comments, and referred to the White House as an “adult day care center.” Corker later escalated the war of words further, warning that Trump’s threats could put the country “on the path to World War III.”
“The president needs to be more careful in his language, but I think we all need to get back to work on the issues,” Collins said Sunday during a separate interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
— Mallory Shelbourne contributed to this report.