Politics & Government
Corker Calls White House 'Adult Day Care' After Trump Tweet Tirade
Sen. Bob Corker, once a key Trump ally, fired back Sunday after the President chided him on Twitter.
WASHINGTON, DC — Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, once seen as a key ally of President Donald Trump, compared the White House to "an adult day care center" Sunday after the president blasted the increasingly critical Republican on Twitter.
Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced late last month that he would not seek a third term, and since that surprise revelation, has sharpened his critiques of the White House. Wednesday, he told reporters Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly "help separate our country from chaos." In a subtle rebuke, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump is "keeping the world from chaos." The back and forth escalated Sunday when the president took to Twitter.
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Senator Bob Corker "begged" me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said "NO" and he dropped out (said he could not win without...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said "NO THANKS." He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
...Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn't have the guts to run!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
In response, the usually understated Corker tweeted his most pointed — and humorous — criticism of the White House thus far.
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
Signs of division between Corker and the White House began in August, when, in a speech in his native Chattanooga, the senator said the president "has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today" and that he "has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence" needed for the office. He then doubled-down on those criticisms the next day in Nashville. The president tweeted those criticisms were "strange" and claimed "Tennessee not happy!".
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Both the White House and Corker indicated there was a rapprochement after that spat, though clearly things have taken a turn once again.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File
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