GOP Sen. Ben Sasse says politics shouldn't be about the 'weird worship of one dude,' after rebuke for opposing Trump

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) and a statue of Former President Donald Trump is pictured at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on February 26, 2021.

Samuel Corum/Getty Images/Octavio Jones via Reuters

• Sasse faced a backlash from the Nebraska state party following his vote to convict Trump in the impeachment trial.

• He is one of a group of five GOP senators who've taken a stand against Trump in the wake of the Capitol riot. 
• Trump retains the loyalty of most grassroots Republicans and will address the CPAC conference Sunday. 
• Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska has said that politics is about more than "the weird worship of one dude" in response to a reprimand from the state Republican Party for his vote to convict Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. 

On Saturday, the central committee of Nebraska's Republican Party said that Sasse had been "rebuked" over his impeachment trial vote. It stopped short of formally censuring him, reported the Omaha World Herald. 

In a statement to CNN following the rebuke, Sasse retorted that that "Most Nebraskans don't think politics should be about the weird worship of one dude."

The Nebraska GOP's vote had been delayed by bad weather and came several weeks after Trump's acquittal in his second impeachment trial.

In a statement reported by the Herald, the central committee expressed its "deep disappointment and sadness with respect to the service of Senator Ben Sasse and calls for an immediate readjustment whereby he represents the people of Nebraska to Washington and not Washington to the people of Nebraska."

Sasse is the latest Republican to face a backlash from their state party following their vote to convict Trump in the impeachment trial. 

Seven GOP senators and all Democratic senators voted to convict Trump after the trial, but the 53-47 vote result wasn't enough to meet the two-thirds majority required.

State GOP parties censured Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr after their conviction vote. 

People take a picture with former President Donald Trump's statue on display at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 27, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Begun in 1974, CPAC brings together conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders to discuss issues important to them.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Despite his role in whipping up supporters ahead of the January 6 Capitol riot that led to his second impeachment, Trump retains millions of grassroots GOP supporters' loyalty.

His status as the most powerful figure in the party has been underscored by his Conservative Political Action Conference's role over the past few days, where he will deliver the keynote speech on Sunday. 

A gold statue of the former president is on display in the Florida venue's lobby, where the gathering of the most influential US conservatives is being held. 

Sasse is one of a group of five GOP senators who've taken a stand against Trump in the wake of the Capitol riot. 

He was re-elected to office in November, meaning he has a six-year term to serve. 

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