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President Trump speaks to reporters in Morristown, New Jersey before New Hampshire rally.
President Trump is dinging Iowa Rep. Steve King for eyebrow-raising comments questioning whether humanity would exist anymore if not for rape and incest. Meanwhile, the embattled GOP lawmaker is resisting calls from critics to resign.
"Certainly it wasn’t a good statement,” the president told reporters Thursday before boarding a flight to New Hampshire for a rally.
King, no stranger to controversy-stirring remarks, has been facing a new backlash over his comments to a conservative group on Wednesday.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, seen here this past January, defended his call for a ban on all abortions by questioning whether "there would be any population of the world left" if not for births due to rape and incest. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
STEVE KING HIT FOR PONDERING WHETHER CIVILIZATION WOULD HAVE SURVIVED WITHOUT RAPE AND INCEST
"What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" King said at the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register. "Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can't say that I was not a part of a product of that."
King’s comments came as he was arguing against exceptions for rape and incest in anti-abortion legislation. The Iowa Republican has contended that just because the circumstances surrounding conception are bad, that doesn't negate the humanity of the result.
"It's not the baby's fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother," he said.
A slew of Democrats ripped into King over the comments. But, some Republicans – including GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of the Republican leadership – have called on King to leave Congress, too.
"Today's comments by @RepSteveKingIA are appalling and bizarre," the GOP lawmaker from Wyoming tweeted Wednesday. "As I've said before, it's time for him to go. The people of Iowa's 4th congressional district deserve better.
King defended himself over the uproar on Thursday, taking shots at Cheney for her response and claiming she isn't sufficiently pro-life.
“I believe all life is sacred regardless of the circumstances of conception,” King tweeted. “@Liz_Cheney finds that ‘appalling’ and ‘bizarre.’”
Fox News' Andrew O'Reilly contributed to this report.
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