Republicans criticize Trump for meeting

WASHINGTON — Some Republicans on Sunday criticized Donald Trump for dining with white supremacist Nick Fuentes at the former president’s Mar-a-lago resort in Florida, even as Trump said the encounter was inadvertent.

Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson accused Trump of empowering extremism.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for a leader who’s setting an example for the country or the party to meet with an avowed racist or antisemite,” Hutchinson told CNN.

Representative James Comer, a Republican lawmaker from Kentucky, said Trump needed “better judgment (on) who he dines with.”

Trump earlier this month said he plans to seek the Republican nomination to run for the White House again in 2024, though he could face challengers to that bid, including from Florida Gov. Ron Desantis.