Bob Corker Bashes Trump To the New York Times - Gives Democrats A Gift
Bob Corker Says Trump’s Recklessness Threatens ‘World War III’
New York Times ^ | October 8, 2017 | JONATHAN MARTIN and MARK LANDLER
WASHINGTON — Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, charged in an interview on Sunday that President Trump was treating his office like “a reality show,” with reckless threats toward other countries that could set the nation “on the path to World War III.”
In an extraordinary rebuke of a president of his own party, Mr. Corker said he was alarmed about a president who acts “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something.”
“He concerns me,” Mr. Corker added. “He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.”
(Snip)
It began on Sunday morning when Mr. Trump, posting on Twitter, accused Mr. Corker of deciding not to run for re-election because he “didn’t have the guts.” Mr. Corker shot back in his own tweet: “It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”
The senator, Mr. Trump said, had “begged” for his endorsement. “I said ‘NO’ and he dropped out (said he could not win without my endorsement),” the president wrote. He also said that Mr. Corker had asked to be secretary of state. “I said ‘NO THANKS,’” he wrote.
Mr. Corker flatly disputed that account, saying Mr. Trump had urged him to run again, and promised to endorse him if he did. But the exchange laid bare a deeper rift: The senator views Mr. Trump as given to irresponsible outbursts — a political novice who has failed to make the transition from show business.
Mr. Trump poses such an acute risk, the senator said, that a coterie of senior administration officials must protect him from his own instincts. “I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it’s a situation of trying to contain him,” Mr. Corker said in a telephone interview.
I saw this on Twitter as it is trending nationally in the U.S. What Bob Corker just said is a gift to the Democrats as I was reading their comments on Twitter, and Corker went and did it anyway. You don't think the NY Times didn't love every minute of their interview with Corker? SMH. Let's look at a little more of this:
In an extraordinary rebuke of a president of his own party, Mr. Corker said he was alarmed about a president who acts “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something.”
Corker acts like he's a Democrat or something.
“He concerns me,” Mr. Corker added. “He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.”
Anyone who cares? That means that Corker has just thrown all Trump supporters (many of whom were people who voted for him at the time) under the bus because if one isn't concerned, than it means one doesn't care about our nation.
In a 25-minute conversation, Mr. Corker, speaking carefully and purposefully, seemed to almost find cathartic satisfaction by portraying Mr. Trump in terms that most senior Republicans use only in private.
The senator, who is close to Mr. Tillerson, invoked comments that the president made on Twitter last weekend in which he appeared to undercut Mr. Tillerson’s negotiations with North Korea.
“A lot of people think that there is some kind of ‘good cop, bad cop’ act underway, but that’s just not true,” Mr. Corker said.
Without offering specifics, he said Mr. Trump had repeatedly undermined diplomacy with his Twitter fingers. “I know he has hurt, in several instances, he’s hurt us as it relates to negotiations that were underway by tweeting things out,” Mr. Corker said.
All but inviting his colleagues to join him in speaking out about the president, Mr. Corker said his concerns about Mr. Trump were shared by nearly every Senate Republican.
“Look, except for a few people, the vast majority of our caucus understands what we’re dealing with here,” he said, adding that “of course they understand the volatility that we’re dealing with and the tremendous amount of work that it takes by people around him to keep him in the middle of the road.”
Notice that he derives his "almost cathartic satisfaction" by trashing the President of his own party to the New York Times. Now, I realize Trump tweeted negatively about him, but that was only after Corker attacked him and said that Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly were "keeping the world from chaos." It's not the first time he attacked him either. This is really a vicious attack on the President of your own party, and it is one that I am certain Trump would find insulting. How could one not?
Bob Corker is a moderate, traditional Republican. He really doesn't have a large base of support, meaning he's not popular with the Trump base but rather the establishment. He saw what happened to Luther Strange and how Jeff Flake is faring in the polls. He saw that association with McConnell is toxic, and decided not run again because he was likely to be primaried as the Trump base didn't see him as an ally.
The key thing to keep in mind here is that he is close to Rex Tillerson. Rex Tillerson, who the media reports doesn't get along with Trump (Trump denies this), was someone that I was apprehensive about for Secretary of State because he was recommended by Condi Rice and Bob Gates. These are two very establishment people whose neocon foreign policies were not the agenda Trump ran on. Trump should have chosen someone who was there in the trenches with him for Secretary of State such as Rudy Giuliani. Rex Tillerson was also praised by Jeb!. The reports that Trump and Tillerson have differences over Tillerson being more establishment in his thinking is not surprising. Corker is trying to protect his friend Tillerson.
Corker says "of course they understand the volatility that we're dealing with and the tremendous amount of work that it takes by people around him to keep in the middle of the road." Keep him "middle of the road." He spoke earlier of "containing" him. That's the bottom line. That's why he says that Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly are "keeping the world from chaos." Of course they are in his mind. He wants Trump to have a "middle of the road", establishment foreign policy. Corker is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and mentioned disagreeing with Trump on foreign policy even during the campaign. This is why I can absolutely believe Trump's accusation that Corker wanted to be secretary of state so he could use it to push his views and agenda forward. He's not, so he's getting his views/agenda done through Tillerson.
Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly tend to be conventional in their thinking. We know the reports on Kelly say he has blocked Trump from getting conservative news, prominent supporters have left on his watch such as Bannon, Gorka, and Schiller, and that certain people who want to visit say he won't allow them to. Toss McMaster in as well who as purged the NSC of the pro-Trump people. Tucker Carlson noted that with people like Bannon and Gorka gone, a majority of the people left in the White House would fit in in a Jeb! Administration. Corker could be VP in a Jeb! Administration. The bottom line is that Trump has people in his Administration who ultimately differ from what he ran on in that they take more traditional neocon positions - which is where Corker is. Trump is still trying to get his anti-establishment, #MAGA foreign policy agenda through, and Corker sees these guys as directing him towards "middle of the road" positions. The thought that Trump is having some friction with Tillerson is making him nervous because he is close to Tillerson and wants his influence.
The media keeps calling Kelly, Mattis, and Tillerson the "adults in the room." Corker knows this interview in The NYT will only help gain support for these three and help secure their jobs. Recall that some Democrats want to impeach Trump by using the 25th Amendment which says that he is unfit for office. Corker alluded to that in August. He then alludes to it again today. Corker says that these three are necessary to keep the country safe:
Finally:
“I don’t know why the president tweets out things that are not true,” he said. “You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but he does.”
The senator recalled four conversations this year, a mix of in-person meetings and phone calls, in which he said the president had encouraged him to run for re-election. Mr. Trump, he said, repeatedly indicated he wanted to come to Tennessee for an early rally on Mr. Corker’s behalf and even telephoned him last Monday to try to get him to reconsider his decision to retire.
He says that Trump said he would endorse him. Trump says that he refused. It's a he said/he said. Corker is not running for reelection - let the people say Amen! Marsha Blackburn would be a welcome replacement.
New York Times ^ | October 8, 2017 | JONATHAN MARTIN and MARK LANDLER
WASHINGTON — Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, charged in an interview on Sunday that President Trump was treating his office like “a reality show,” with reckless threats toward other countries that could set the nation “on the path to World War III.”
In an extraordinary rebuke of a president of his own party, Mr. Corker said he was alarmed about a president who acts “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something.”
“He concerns me,” Mr. Corker added. “He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.”
(Snip)
It began on Sunday morning when Mr. Trump, posting on Twitter, accused Mr. Corker of deciding not to run for re-election because he “didn’t have the guts.” Mr. Corker shot back in his own tweet: “It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”
The senator, Mr. Trump said, had “begged” for his endorsement. “I said ‘NO’ and he dropped out (said he could not win without my endorsement),” the president wrote. He also said that Mr. Corker had asked to be secretary of state. “I said ‘NO THANKS,’” he wrote.
Mr. Corker flatly disputed that account, saying Mr. Trump had urged him to run again, and promised to endorse him if he did. But the exchange laid bare a deeper rift: The senator views Mr. Trump as given to irresponsible outbursts — a political novice who has failed to make the transition from show business.
Mr. Trump poses such an acute risk, the senator said, that a coterie of senior administration officials must protect him from his own instincts. “I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it’s a situation of trying to contain him,” Mr. Corker said in a telephone interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at mobile.nytimes.com ...
I saw this on Twitter as it is trending nationally in the U.S. What Bob Corker just said is a gift to the Democrats as I was reading their comments on Twitter, and Corker went and did it anyway. You don't think the NY Times didn't love every minute of their interview with Corker? SMH. Let's look at a little more of this:
In an extraordinary rebuke of a president of his own party, Mr. Corker said he was alarmed about a president who acts “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something.”
Corker acts like he's a Democrat or something.
“He concerns me,” Mr. Corker added. “He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.”
Anyone who cares? That means that Corker has just thrown all Trump supporters (many of whom were people who voted for him at the time) under the bus because if one isn't concerned, than it means one doesn't care about our nation.
In a 25-minute conversation, Mr. Corker, speaking carefully and purposefully, seemed to almost find cathartic satisfaction by portraying Mr. Trump in terms that most senior Republicans use only in private.
The senator, who is close to Mr. Tillerson, invoked comments that the president made on Twitter last weekend in which he appeared to undercut Mr. Tillerson’s negotiations with North Korea.
“A lot of people think that there is some kind of ‘good cop, bad cop’ act underway, but that’s just not true,” Mr. Corker said.
Without offering specifics, he said Mr. Trump had repeatedly undermined diplomacy with his Twitter fingers. “I know he has hurt, in several instances, he’s hurt us as it relates to negotiations that were underway by tweeting things out,” Mr. Corker said.
All but inviting his colleagues to join him in speaking out about the president, Mr. Corker said his concerns about Mr. Trump were shared by nearly every Senate Republican.
“Look, except for a few people, the vast majority of our caucus understands what we’re dealing with here,” he said, adding that “of course they understand the volatility that we’re dealing with and the tremendous amount of work that it takes by people around him to keep him in the middle of the road.”
Notice that he derives his "almost cathartic satisfaction" by trashing the President of his own party to the New York Times. Now, I realize Trump tweeted negatively about him, but that was only after Corker attacked him and said that Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly were "keeping the world from chaos." It's not the first time he attacked him either. This is really a vicious attack on the President of your own party, and it is one that I am certain Trump would find insulting. How could one not?
Bob Corker is a moderate, traditional Republican. He really doesn't have a large base of support, meaning he's not popular with the Trump base but rather the establishment. He saw what happened to Luther Strange and how Jeff Flake is faring in the polls. He saw that association with McConnell is toxic, and decided not run again because he was likely to be primaried as the Trump base didn't see him as an ally.
The key thing to keep in mind here is that he is close to Rex Tillerson. Rex Tillerson, who the media reports doesn't get along with Trump (Trump denies this), was someone that I was apprehensive about for Secretary of State because he was recommended by Condi Rice and Bob Gates. These are two very establishment people whose neocon foreign policies were not the agenda Trump ran on. Trump should have chosen someone who was there in the trenches with him for Secretary of State such as Rudy Giuliani. Rex Tillerson was also praised by Jeb!. The reports that Trump and Tillerson have differences over Tillerson being more establishment in his thinking is not surprising. Corker is trying to protect his friend Tillerson.
Corker says "of course they understand the volatility that we're dealing with and the tremendous amount of work that it takes by people around him to keep in the middle of the road." Keep him "middle of the road." He spoke earlier of "containing" him. That's the bottom line. That's why he says that Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly are "keeping the world from chaos." Of course they are in his mind. He wants Trump to have a "middle of the road", establishment foreign policy. Corker is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and mentioned disagreeing with Trump on foreign policy even during the campaign. This is why I can absolutely believe Trump's accusation that Corker wanted to be secretary of state so he could use it to push his views and agenda forward. He's not, so he's getting his views/agenda done through Tillerson.
Tillerson, Mattis, and Kelly tend to be conventional in their thinking. We know the reports on Kelly say he has blocked Trump from getting conservative news, prominent supporters have left on his watch such as Bannon, Gorka, and Schiller, and that certain people who want to visit say he won't allow them to. Toss McMaster in as well who as purged the NSC of the pro-Trump people. Tucker Carlson noted that with people like Bannon and Gorka gone, a majority of the people left in the White House would fit in in a Jeb! Administration. Corker could be VP in a Jeb! Administration. The bottom line is that Trump has people in his Administration who ultimately differ from what he ran on in that they take more traditional neocon positions - which is where Corker is. Trump is still trying to get his anti-establishment, #MAGA foreign policy agenda through, and Corker sees these guys as directing him towards "middle of the road" positions. The thought that Trump is having some friction with Tillerson is making him nervous because he is close to Tillerson and wants his influence.
The media keeps calling Kelly, Mattis, and Tillerson the "adults in the room." Corker knows this interview in The NYT will only help gain support for these three and help secure their jobs. Recall that some Democrats want to impeach Trump by using the 25th Amendment which says that he is unfit for office. Corker alluded to that in August. He then alludes to it again today. Corker says that these three are necessary to keep the country safe:
In August, after Mr. Trump’s equivocal response to the deadly clashes in Charlottesville, Va., Mr. Corker told reporters that 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.”
He said on Sunday that he had made all those comments deliberately, aiming them at “an audience of one, plus those people who are closely working around with him, what I would call the good guys.” He was referring to Mr. Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly.
“As long as there are people like that around him who are able to talk him down when he gets spun up, you know, calm him down and continue to work with him before a decision gets made, I think we’ll be fine,” he said.
See what he is doing here? He alluding to the fact that Trump is not fit, must be "contained", and could start World War III, BUT just keep these three guys and things will be fine. They will handle it. Trump has already had a high staff turnover. I feel as though this is a threat to Trump if tries to get rid of one or more of these three. He's trying to ensure support for the three of them so the backlash is strong if one or more is fired.
Finally:
“I don’t know why the president tweets out things that are not true,” he said. “You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but he does.”
The senator recalled four conversations this year, a mix of in-person meetings and phone calls, in which he said the president had encouraged him to run for re-election. Mr. Trump, he said, repeatedly indicated he wanted to come to Tennessee for an early rally on Mr. Corker’s behalf and even telephoned him last Monday to try to get him to reconsider his decision to retire.
He says that Trump said he would endorse him. Trump says that he refused. It's a he said/he said. Corker is not running for reelection - let the people say Amen! Marsha Blackburn would be a welcome replacement.
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