Feinstein gets flak for stance on Trump
California Senate leader Kevin de León slams the U. S. senator for urging ‘ patience’ with the president.
SACRAMENTO — Comments by Sen. Dianne Feinstein calling for “patience” with President Trump sparked a backlash Wednesday from the leader of the state Senate, who said it was tantamount to being “complicit” in Trump’s behavior.
Feinstein, who spoke Tuesday night at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, was booed by the crowd after saying she still thinks he can be a “good president.” She went on to suggest people pause before passing judgment in order to see how Trump will handle the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
“This is his f irst big American emergency. I think we have to have some patience. I do,” she said.
State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León ( DLos Angeles) criticized Feinstein for her comments, offering a glimpse into the vastly different approaches by two leading California Democrats to Trump’s f irst few months in office.
“It is the responsibility of Congress to hold him accountable — especially Democrats, not be complicit in his reckless behavior,” De León said in a statement, f irst reported by San Francisco’s KQED public radio.
De León, who is termed out of office next year and is rumored as a possible future candidate for governor or U. S. Senate, raised a litany of issues in his Wednesday statement on which Democrats disagree with the president — including the environment and the possible deportation of young immigrants without legal residency status.
“I don’t think children who breathe dirty air can afford patience,” he said. “The LGBT worker or woman los-
ing their rights by the day, or the black student who could be assaulted on the street, they can’t afford patience. ‘ Dreamers’ who are unsure of their fate in this country can’t afford patience. Even a Trump voter who is still out of work can’t afford to be patient.”
De León also said that “this president has not shown any capacity to learn and proven he is not fit for office.”
After initial news reports of her comments at the event sparked some criticism on social media, Feinstein issued a statement Wednesday seeking to clarify her stance. She has not, however, responded directly to De León’s criticism.
“The duty of the American president is to bring people together, not cater to one segment of a political base; to solve problems, not campaign constantly,” Feinstein said. “While I’m under no illusion that it’s likely to happen and will continue to oppose his policies, I want President Trump to change for the good of the country.”
The 84- year- old Feinstein, who was f irst elected to the Senate in 1992, has not said directly whether she will seek another six- year term in 2018, but has strongly hinted that she plans to run again.
This year, she had surgery to install a pacemaker, fueling speculation about her future as a cadre of ambitious California lawmakers eye her seat.
Feinstein, who has a reputation as a centrist dealmaker, has lately come under fire from liberal activists who want her to take more progressive positions.