In a strong rebuke of President Donald Trump, Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has warned that the billionaire President’s reckless threats could set America “on the path to World War III”.
On a day when Trump made his feuding with the influential Republican Senator public with a series of embarrassing tweets, Corker hit back by giving an interview to The New York Times in which he slammed the President for treating his office like a “reality show”.
“He concerns me. He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation,” Corker commented, wondering if the President was acting “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something”.
“I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it’s a situation of trying to contain him,” said the Senator from Tennessee who has decided to retire next year when his second term comes to an end.
Corker was irked by Trump’s contemptuous tweets against him on Sunday, saying he (Corker) decided not to seek re-election because he “didn’t have the guts” to face what looked like a formidable primary challenge.
Claiming that Corker had “begged” him for his endorsement, Trump tweeted: “I said ‘NO’ and he dropped out (said he could not win without my endorsement).” Adding Corker was also eyeing to be Secretary of State, Trump said in another tweet: “I said ‘NO THANKS’.”
The tweetstorm prompted Corker to hit back at Trump with his own tweet: “It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”
Trump was apparently irked by Corker’s recent comment to reporters that it was three people in the administration who “separate our country from chaos”, lauding Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.
Antagonising one more influential Republican Senator could make his Trump’s task of advancing his agenda in the Senate even more tough, analysts noted. The Republicans have a tenuous 52-48 majority, and Trump suffered a big setback when his plan to repeal and replace Obamacare could not be gone through as three party Senators refused to go along with the move.
ENDS