Joni Ernst responds to town hall backlash over Medicaid comments - as Twitter notices one ‘bonkers’ detail

Joni Ernst, the Republican senator for Iowa, has doubled down on remarks made at a recent town hall, in which she responded to concerns about cuts to Medicaid by telling attendees “we all are going to die”.

The politician was met with widespread condemnation online over the answer given at the event on Friday (May 30), which also saw her defend the cuts as “corrections of overpayments and people that have not been eligible for these programs, by law, as it is currently written”.

When one person shouted out that “people are going to die”, Ernst replied: “Well, we all are going to die.”

The remarks were branded “cold-hearted” and sparked comparisons to Shrek villain Lord Farquaad’s infamous line from the 2001 film that “some of you may die, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make”.

Now, in a series of videos posted to her Instagram Stories on Saturday (May 31), said she wanted to “sincerely apologise”.

She said: “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we’re all going to perish from this earth. So, I apologise, and I’m really, really glad that I didn’t have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy, as well.

“But, for those who would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and saviour, Jesus Christ.”

But social media users soon noticed that Ernst had filmed the video ‘apologising’ for her previous remarks inside a cemetery:

A move which has seen her branded a “horrible person”:

And criticised for being “purely grotesque” in showing “absolute disdain” for her constituents:

Another asked: “Why doesn’t Joni give up her sweet, taxpayer paid, healthcare plan?”

Ernst is set to run for re-election next year.

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