‘There is no comparison’: Ernst knocks Trump over ‘hostages’ comments

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) knocked former President Donald Trump’s description of those imprisoned for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as “hostages,” while Americans are still being held hostage by Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

“Does it bother you that Donald Trump is using that language?” NBC’s Kristen Welker asked during an interview on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

“It does in this context, because we do have American hostages that are being held against their will all around the globe,” said Ernst, who has remained officially neutral in the Republican presidential contest.

Those who were taken by Hamas insurgents last fall have been “held in tunnels with terrorists. They are being tortured; they have been raped; they have been denied medication,” Ernst added. “So equating the two, there is no comparison.”

Sunday marks 100 days since Israelis and foreign nationals were seized in southern Israel and taken back to Gaza by Hamas; an estimated 132 are still being held. Some Jewish Americans are marking the day by wearing a piece of tape with the number "100" on it.

At a campaign rally earlier this month, Trump called on President Joe Biden to “release the J6 hostages,” a message that was slammed by the White House.

"It is grotesque to make those type of comparison," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

Despite criticizing Trump’s rhetoric, Ernst said she is “not opposed” to Trump pardoning the Jan. 6 prisoners.

“That is a president's prerogative. And so if former President Donald Trump is elected as our next president, he does have the right to do that,” she told Welker.