Trump vs. Corker: Everything You Need to Know About the Feud That’s Tearing Republicans Apart

The feud between Donald Trump and Tennessee senator Bob Corker has grown so bitter and so newsworthy that Republican leadership is now telling them to cut it out.

The conflict began months ago. Corker, an early supporter of Donald Trump on the campaign trail, had grown increasingly disillusioned with the president’s conduct. The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Corker had been advising the president on foreign policy, but began voicing his concerns with Trump’s conduct as far back as a year ago. Back in May, he said the White House was in a “downward spiral.” Still, it wasn’t until the president sympathized with Neo-Nazis after their demonstration at Charlottesville that any public evidence of a real rift emerged.

This was back in August, and The Atlantic reports that Corker had this to say:

“The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful,” Corker told Chattanooga website Nooga.com. “He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today, and he’s got to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands that.”

The article goes on to note the president’s response:

Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ‘18. Tennessee not happy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2017

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But now, the feud has reached a boiling point. Corker announced at the end of September that he would not run for re-election. He says that Trump tried to talk him out of it—and Trump countered with a Twitter screed shrilly saying Corker had “begged” him for his support in the re-election campaign, and said he wouldn’t run without Trump’s approval. These were, of course, lies, and it was fun seeing a Republican senator acknowledge that the Republican president lies all the time.

The President of the United States also made fun of the senator’s height, calling him “Liddle” Bob Corker. Corker responded with this wonderful tweet, which is currently nearing 150,000 retweets:

It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.

— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 8, 2017

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders got in on the action Tuesday, blaming Corker for the Iran nuclear deal that Trump despises. Corker ultimate voted against the deal, but it’s not like the truth will suddenly start mattering to the Trump administration. Finally, Corker told The New York Times that he’s worried Trump could start World War III.

The Hill notes that relations between the president and senators from his own party is strained. And Politico describes how the feud has put them at an impasse:

The standoff has Senate Republicans forced to choose between a senior senator and the president of their own party. And it’s exacerbating the perception of Republican dysfunction at a time that the party’s agenda is stalled on Capitol Hill and a slate of outsiders is threatening primaries against GOP incumbents.

Of course, what’s really worrying Republicans is how this might affect their legislative plans. With a battle looming on tax reform, Politico reports Corker might even oppose any plan put forward while he’s still in office. Wouldn’t that be something.