Republicans launch withering attack on Trump

DONALD Trump has been ripped apart by two high profile members of his own team, who have painted the President as a bully and a liar.

TWO members of Donald Trump’s own political party launched withering attacks on him overnight, branding him a bully and a liar who was “debasing” the US.

In an extraordinary spat that is playing out in public, Tennessee Republican senator Bob Corker unloaded to CNN and a host of other media outlets, saying Mr Trump would mostly be remembered for his legacy of division.

“When his term is over, I think the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth telling, and the … name calling … the debasement of our nation is what we will be remembered [as] most important, and that’s regretful,” Senator Corker said.

“His governing model is to divide and to attempt to bully and to use untruths.”

Pulling no punches … Senator Bob Corker. Picture: AP Photo/J Scott Applewhite

The senator, who deals with foreign leaders as head of the senate committee on foreign relations, said that “unfortunately I think world leaders are very aware that much of what he says is untrue”.

Meanwhile, Arizona Republican Jeff Flake announced he would not seek re-election to the senate, and took the opportunity to bash the President on the way out.

While Mr Trump will be happy to see the back of Senator Flake, he will still need his vote as his term doesn’t expire for another 14 months.

He said Mr Trump had engaged in “reckless, outrageous and undignified behaviour” that had “degraded politics”. He later told CNN that his “mean, cruel tweets” set a bad example for children.

Staunch critic … Senator Jeff Flake. Picture: AFP/Nicholas Kamm

Senator Corker, who will also not seek re-election, which allows him to speak freely, seems to have given up on Mr Trump’s presidency only nine months in.

“He’s obviously not going to rise to the occasion as president,” he said.

The latest flare-up between Mr Trump and Senator Corker began when the President took to Twitter to assure voters that he would not allow politicians to reduce tax incentives around retirement savings plans to pay for income tax cuts.

Senator Corker told the US Today show that Mr Trump’s intervention undermined the Senate’s efforts to get tax cuts over the line.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take Mr Trump long to respond via Twitter, calling Senator Corker “incompetent”, saying he “doesn’t have a clue” and claiming the two-term politician “couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee”.

Bob Corker, who helped President O give us the bad Iran Deal & couldn't get elected dog catcher in Tennessee, is now fighting Tax Cuts....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017

...Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017

Isn't it sad that lightweight Senator Bob Corker, who couldn't get re-elected in the Great State of Tennessee, will now fight Tax Cuts plus!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017

Sen. Corker is the incompetent head of the Foreign Relations Committee, & look how poorly the U.S. has done. He doesn't have a clue as.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017

...the entire World WAS laughing and taking advantage of us. People like liddle' Bob Corker have set the U.S. way back. Now we move forward!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2017

Senator Corker retaliated on Twitter, saying the President was “utterly untruthful”.

Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff

— Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) October 24, 2017

The testy exchange came just hours before Mr Trump sat down with Senator Corker, Senator Flake and other Republicans in Washington to talk about the proposed tax cuts.

Senator Corker said afterwards that he and the President did not interact during the meeting.

When Mr Trump arrived at the event on Capitol Hill, a protester sprung out of the press scrum, yelled “Trump is treason!” and threw Russian flags bearing Mr Trump’s name at the President. Security officials swiftly removed the protester.

Fighting back … President Donald Trump. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Topping off a chaotic day in Washington, another fierce Republican critic of Mr Trump, Senator Flake, announced he would not seek re-election and blasted the President in the process.

“We must stop pretending that the degradation of politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal,” Senator Flake said.

“Reckless, outrageous and undignified behaviour is excused as ‘telling it like it is’ when it’s actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified. When such behaviour emanates from the top of our government, it is something else.”

He called on his Republican colleagues not to put up with Mr Trump’s unpresidential behaviour.

“Politics can make us silent when we should speak and silence can equal complicity,” he said.

“I have children and grandchildren to answer to. So, Mr President, I will not be complicit or silent.”

Polls suggest that both senators Corker and Flake were unlikely to win back their seats representing Arizona and Tennessee, states that both voted strongly for Mr Trump last year.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the senators’ retirements were “probably a good move”.

“They were not likely to be re-elected, which shows support is more behind this President than the senators,” she said.

Senator Corker has been starkly critical of Mr Trump in recent weeks, saying at one point that the President’s careless rhetoric toward foreign powers could lead America toward World War III.

That prompted Mr Trump to label his antagonist “Liddle Bob Corker” and claim, falsely, that Senator Corker had decided to retire after begging for an endorsement Trump wouldn’t give.

— with AP