Trump hits back at GOP senator after criticism

US President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked a longtime congressional critic who warned this week that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and authoritarian leaders could cause a "Republican bloodbath in the Senate" in the Nov 3 elections. 

US Senator Ben Sasse is the least effective of the 53 Republican senators, Trump wrote on Twitter, calling him "a liability to the Republican Party, and an embarrassment to the Great State of Nebraska. Other than that, he's just a wonderful guy."

Sasse criticized Trump in a town hall with constituents on Wednesday, and questioned whether the president would ultimately drive the country further to the left.

Trump "kisses dictators' butts" and has "flirted with white supremacists," according to a transcript of the virtual town hall. Trump's leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic has not been "reasonable, or responsible, or right," Sasse said.

He added that Trump refused to take the coronavirus seriously for months and had treated it like a news cycle rather that a multi-year public health challenge.

Senate Republicans are battling to keep their 53-47 majority in the election. Surveys showed Republicans can lose the Senate besides presidency.