Michigan Republicans and Democrats called on President Donald Trump to apologize for a macabre joke suggesting the late John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress, might be in hell.

Trump mocked U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, during a Wednesday campaign rally in Battle Creek that occurred at the same time she voted with Democrats in the U.S. House to impeach him. The president contrasted Dingell’s gratitude with his involvement in her husband’s funeral with her decision to impeach him.

“Then you have this Dingell,” Trump said. “You know Dingell from Michigan, you know Dingell, you ever hear of her Michigan? Debbie Dingell that’s a real beauty.”

Trump said Dingell called him after the president gave John’s Washington memorial the “A+ treatment." Trump said Dingell gave him the “most profuse thank you that you could ever get” and said her husband was “looking down” on them.

“Maybe he’s looking up,” Trump said, eliciting groans and cheers from the audience. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe. But let’s assume he’s looking down.”

Dingell responded in a statement on Twitter.

“Mr. President, let’s set politics aside,” Dingell said. “My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.”

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, a family friend and political ally of Dingell, was among the first Republican to say Trump should apologize. Upton participated in a statewide speaking tour with Dingell this year to extoll the virtues of bipartisanship and civility.

“I’ve always looked up to John Dingell - my good friend and a great Michigan legend,” Upton wrote on Twitter. “There was no need to ‘dis’ him in a crass political way. Most unfortunate and an apology is due.”

Another Michigan Republican followed suit in a rare denouncement of Trump’s rhetoric. Both voted against impeaching the president hours earlier.

U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, also said Trump owes Dingell and apology. Mitchell is not seeking reelection in 2020.

“John Dingell was a well-respected man (and) I consider Debbie a close colleague and friend,” Mitchell wrote on Twitter. “To use his name in such a dishonorable manner at last night’s rally is unacceptable from anyone, let alone the President of the United States. An apology is due, Mr. President.”

House Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, said he considered John a friend, but stopped short of condemning the president’s remarks during a Thursday press conference.

Most of the reactions were posted to social media. “John Dingell” was trending on Twitter Thursday morning and many of the late congressman’s characteristically biting tweets about Trump were shared by Dingell’s supporters.

Michigan Democrats also slammed Trump’s statements.

Trump’s comments were described as “mean, cruel, disgusting” by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, on MSNBC Thursday morning. Stabenow said people in Michigan will remember Trump’s words.

“I wish I could say it was surprising,” Stabenow said. “After hearing him speak about my friend John McCain over and over again in his disrespect it is just one more day in how he operates, which is very, very concerning.”

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, said going after John “demeans you and your office.”

“Mr. President, shame on you,” Slotkin said on Twitter.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, called on Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, a Michigan native, to disavow Trump’s remarks.

“Your silence as a Michigander is deafening, Ronna," Stevens wrote on Twitter.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said Trump’s comments were “reprehensible.”

“John was a WWII veteran and a true statesman,” Peters wrote on Twitter. “Both he and Debbie embody the best of Michigan.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her heart aches for Dingell, adding that John was “a national treasure, a true patriot and a hero to many of us in Michigan.”

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