President Donald Trump’s claim that Sen. Bob Corker opted to leave the Senate only after the president refused to endorse him has been repeatedly disputed by the Tennessee Republican’s office. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images Trump and Corker hurl insults as GOP strives for unity The Tennessee Republican offers a prediction: 'I think the debasement of our nation will be what he'll be remembered most for.' 
 
 President Donald Trump and Sen. Bob Corker dramatically escalated their feud on Tuesday, with the president accusing Corker of blocking tax reform efforts and the Tennessee Republican warning Trump that his legacy will be the debasement of America. 
 
 The nasty exchanges came ahead of a Capitol Hill lunch between Trump and GOP senators to project unity on an ambitious legislative agenda. While the two men generally avoided each other at the meeting, the rebukes still hung in the air. 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 Corker set off the latest tiff, appearing on all three major broadcast morning news shows to needle the president and to call on him to “step aside” on tax reform. 
 
 Trump punched back on Twitter. 
 
 “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,” Trump wrote. “Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse [sic] when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump. Look at his record!” 
 
 Corker quickly responded, lamenting on Twitter the "same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff." Trump’s claim that Corker opted to leave the Senate only after the president refused to endorse him has been disputed repeatedly by the Tennessee Republican’s office. In fact, it was Trump, Corker’s office has said, who asked the senator to reconsider his retirement. 
 
 Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. 
 
 The spat escalated from there, and captured the civil war that is plaguing the Republican Party despite the GOP’s control of both the White House and Congress. Trump has sparred at times with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.), among others. 
 
 Flake grabbed his own share of the spotlight on Tuesday, announcing that he would not seek reelection in 2018, and delivering a searing speech on the Senate floor in which he railed against Trump. 
 
 "Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as 'telling it like it is,' when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified," Flake said. "And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else: It is dangerous to a democracy." 
 
 "Mr. President, I rise today to say: Enough," Flake added. 
 
 It's yet to be seen, though, if Flake will join Corker, who is also not seeking reelection in 2018, in taking up the mantle of the senator who consistently punches back against the president. 
 
 On NBC’s “Today" on Tuesday morning, Corker said, "The best way for us to have a success" on tax reform is for the legislation to be driven by Congress, not the president, a recommendation he said was "based on recent history and just, interactions." 
 
 The Tennessee Republican also called Trump’s scheduled lunch with Republican senators on Tuesday little more than a “photo op." 
 
 Speaking more broadly about the president in an interview on "CBS This Morning," Corker told anchor Charlie Rose that "it appears to be the governing model of this White House to purposefully divide." 
 
 Corker then notched up his rhetoric even further during an interview on CNN, saying Trump will most be remembered for "the debasement of our nation." 
 
 "At the end of the day, when his term is over, I think the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth telling, just the name calling, the things — I think the debasement of our nation will be what he'll be remembered most for, and that's regretful," Corker said. 
 
 Asked whether he regrets supporting Trump during last year's election, Corker said, "Let's just put it this way: I would not do that again." 
 
 Trump continued the back-and-forth, asking his Twitter followers, "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!" 
 
 In another two-post missive, Trump lobbed more criticism, resurrecting a nickname he pinned to the Tennessee Republican weeks earlier: "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 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!" 
 
 While the war of words built expectations for a face-to-face clash at Tuesday's lunch, Corker called the meeting "uneventful” and that references to the feud did not come up. 
 
 He said on MSNBC that his earlier back-and-forth with the president was "to express concerns about, you know, the conduct and just what it means to America and Americans and what it means to the world. But I don't really have any agenda other than responding again to shots across the bow." 
 
 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, too, downplayed the conflict between Corker and Trump, telling reporters Tuesday afternoon that "I don't have any observation about that.” He predicted that Republicans' top priority, tax reform, would be unifying enough to bridge any fractures within the GOP. 
 
 The anticlimactic lunch meeting belied a morning of rhetoric from the president's Twitter account that was particularly biting. Corker willingly engaged the president, responding in kind with scathing criticism online and in a flurry of TV news interviews. 
 
 While some have feared that Trump's feud with a powerful committee chairman could imperil GOP priorities, including tax reform, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday that the spat between the two men would not alter Republican policy efforts. 
 
 "At the end of the day, I know Bob well. Bob is going to vote for Tennessee, he's going to vote for America, he's going to vote for tax reform," Ryan continued at a news conference with House Republican leaders. "So put this Twitter dispute aside," he said. 
 
 The relationship between the two men, which had already been on rocky footing, soured further this month as Corker and Trump have lobbed increasingly barbed criticisms at one another through the media. Amid a separate reported spat between Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in early October, Corker came to the defense of the secretary, telling reporters that Tillerson and other top advisers "help separate the country from chaos." 
 
 Trump replied with a Twitter barrage, launching his claim that the senator had opted to retire only once a presidential endorsement had been taken off the table. Trump also said he had rejected Corker as a possible secretary of state and said the senator was "largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!” Corker was quick with a sarcastic retort, writing that "it's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning." 
 
 The senator also delivered a scathing review of Trump in an interview with The New York Times, telling the newspaper that the president has behaved “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something" and that he could put the U.S. "on the path to World War III." 
 
 Corker said on Tuesday morning that he tried being a helpful force to Trump — with little to show for it. 
 
 "Many of us, me included, have, you know, tried to, you know — I've intervened, I have had private dinner, you know, been with him on multiple occasions to try to create some kind of aspirational approach, if you will, to the way that he conducts himself, but I don't think that that's possible," Corker said. "He's obviously not going to rise to the occasion as president." 
 
 Nolan D. McCaskill and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. ||||| Sen. Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, on Sunday called the White House “an adult day care center” after President Trump attacked him in a morning Twitter tirade. 
 
 Setting off an extraordinary squabble between two leaders of the same party, Trump alleged in a trio of tweets that Corker “begged” him for his endorsement, did not receive it and decided to retire because he “didn't have the guts” to run for reelection next year. 
 
 In response, Corker (Tenn.) tweeted, “It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.” 
 
 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 
 
 By alienating Corker, Trump risks further endangering his legislative agenda. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Corker would be a leading voice on Capitol Hill determining the future of the Iran nuclear deal, should Trump “decertify” the agreement and punt to Congress a decision about whether to restore sanctions against Iran. 
 
 Corker also sits on the Senate Budget Committee and looks to play a key role in the upcoming debate over taxes. The senator already has expressed some concerns with the Trump administration's proposal on tax cuts. 
 
 In an apparent response to Corker's "adult day care center" charge, Trump tweeted on Sunday afternoon that Corker was an ineffective senator and could not "get the job done." 
 
 "Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it," Trump wrote. "We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done!" 
 
 Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it. We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017 
 
 Trump's public lashing of Corker comes after the senator made headlines last week when he starkly suggested that the national security team provides the president with badly needed adult supervision. In a remarkable statement, Corker told reporters that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly “are those people that help separate our country from chaos.” 
 
 Trump, who has little tolerance for public criticism and prides himself on counterpunching those who cross him, fired off a trio of tweets Sunday morning attacking Corker, who announced last month that he plans to retire and not seek reelection in 2018. 
 
 Trump tweeted, “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... ..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said 'NO THANKS.' He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal! 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!” 
 
 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 
 
 Todd Womack, Corker's chief of staff, disputed Trump's claims, saying that the president repeatedly has offered to support Corker, and as recently as last week asked the senator to change his mind and run for reelection. 
 
 “The president called Senator Corker on Monday afternoon and asked him to reconsider his decision not to seek reelection and reaffirmed that he would have endorsed him, as he has said many times,” Womack said in a statement. 
 
 Corker was a prominent supporter of Trump's 2016 campaign, and Trump considered him a potential running mate and secretary of state. Corker was one of only a few senators to develop a personal relationship with Trump and his family, but tensions between the two men flared over the summer. 
 
 In August, Corker criticized Trump's handling of the deadly white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, saying, “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.” 
 
 Then, as now, Corker became a subject of Trump's ire. In response to the senator's “stability” and “competence” comments, Trump tweeted, “Tennessee not happy!” 
 
 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 
 
 Corker is not the only Republican senator to come under attack from the presidential bully pulpit. In recent months, Trump has gone after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) with cutting and sometimes personal insults. 
 
 Republican lawmakers have voiced exasperation that Trump is spending his time attacking senators he will need as allies if he hopes to sign any signature legislation, such as the tax-cut plan his administration has been trumpeting. 
 
 Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Sunday that he enjoys working with Corker and that the senator feels free to speak his mind now that he is not seeking reelection. 
 
 “I think it’s going to be fun to work with him, especially now that he’s announced that he’s not running for reelection, because I think it sort of unleashes him to do whatever and say whatever he wants to say,” Mulvaney said Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press.” 
 
 1 of 81 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Scenes from Trump?s second six months in office View Photos A look at the second half, so far, of the president?s first year in the White House. Caption A look at the second half, so far, of the president?s first year in the White House. Jabin Botsford Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 Robert Costa contributed to this report. ||||| Corker, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who announced in late-September that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection in 2018, never had a particularly strong relationship with Donald Trump. In May, he described the Trump administration as being in the midst of a “downward spiral.” Three months later he criticized Trump’s handling of Charlottesville, saying the president “has not demonstrated he understands the character of this nation.” But it wasn’t until Corker announced that he wasn’t seeking reelection, that the relationship between Trump and Corker was fully severed. On Sunday, after Corker had repeatedly criticized Trump’s handling of foreign policy, the president took to Twitter: 
 
 Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it. We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017 
 
 Corker fired back: 
 
 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 
 
 Later that day, Corker told The New York Times’s Jonathan Martin and Mark Landler that the president’s “reality show” approach to governance was leading the country “into World War III. “He concerns me. He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation.” 
 
 This is a significant development, given Corker’s influence as the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. But it’s easy to overstate its significance. After all, we’ve been here before—Jeff Flake wrote an entire book criticizing Trump that just happened to be published the same week that Flake voted for a health care bill being pushed by the president that would have had disastrous consequences for millions of Americans. It does take some courage to criticize the president but, like Flake, Corker hasn’t yet done anything to meaningfully constrain Trump, either on foreign policy or anywhere else. Instead, his comments are best understood as an attempt to influence the president’s behavior—social media and press coverage, of course, are the two best ways to reach Trump and his inner circle. 
 
 In his interview with the Times, Corker made it clear that he thinks that most of his Republican colleagues in the Senate are just as concerned about Trump’s unstable behavior as he is. “Look, except for a few people, the vast majority of our caucus understands what we’re dealing with here,” Corker said. “If you write that, I’m sure there will be some that will come to you and say, ‘No, no, no. I don’t believe that.’ But 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.” 
 
 But that only makes Corker’s comments more inadequate. If he really is speaking for “the vast majority” of Senate Republicans than the fact that they have done nothing meaningful about Trump’s abuses of power and dangerous foreign policy all the more galling. Corker recognizes that we’re in the middle of a crisis. But crises require action—and Corker hasn’t done anything meaningful, at least not yet. ||||| Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump and outgoing Sen. Bob Corker launched into a Twitter spat Sunday morning in a major public falling out, making the Tennessean the latest senior Republican lawmaker to openly criticize Trump over his statements online and off. 
 
 Trump tweeted Sunday morning in a series of posts attacking Corker that he denied the senator's request for an endorsement -- a claim denied by Corker's chief of staff, Todd Womack, later in the day. 
 
 "The president called Senator Corker on Monday afternoon and asked him to reconsider his decision not to seek reelection and reaffirmed that he would have endorsed him, as he has said many times," Womack said in a statement. 
 
 Trump told Corker he was going to endorse him the day the Tennessee Republican announced his intention to retire, two sources familiar with the discussions said. 
 
 Corker, whose term expires at the end of next year, made the announcement that he would retire late last month. 
 
 Trump's slams on Corker come days after the senator made public comments criticizing him. The senator responded to Trump's tweets with an insult later in the morning, calling the White House "an adult day care center" in a Twitter post. 
 
 And he wasn't done there. 
 
 In remarks to The New York Times published on Sunday night, Corker said Trump was treating the presidency like "a reality show," making reckless threats against other countries that put the United States "on the path to World War III." 
 
 Corker also said Trump acts "like he's doing 'The Apprentice' or something," and that alarmed the senator, according to the Times. 
 
 "He concerns me," Corker told the newspaper. "He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation." 
 
 And the risks Trump's behavior presents also concern some of his top officials, who endeavor daily to protect the President from his own instincts, the Times reported. 
 
 "I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it's a situation of trying to contain him," Corker told the newspaper. 
 
 The flare-up between the two leaders highlights the long-simmering differences between GOP leaders and the President, who has not shied away from attacking the leadership over their inability to move health care legislation. It also comes as Trump prepares to press Congress to advance his proposed tax overhaul and tensions reportedly grow between Trump and members of his own Cabinet -- especially Secretary of State Rex Tillerson -- on issues such as the way to handle North Korea's nuclear weapons program. 
 
 Corker's vote will be critical on tax reform, and he remains an influential voice on Trump's foreign policy challenges, including over how to handle the Iran nuclear deal. 
 
 It's not the first time Trump and the White House have privately sent one signal to Corker while publicly saying something else. Following Corker's pointed attack on Trump for his handling of the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August, Vice President Mike Pence quietly sought to repair ties with Corker after the President knocked the Tennessee Republican on Twitter, sources said. 
 
 On Sunday morning, Trump again launched an attack on Corker. 
 
 "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..." Trump tweeted . "..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said "NO THANKS." He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!" 
 
 "...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!" Trump added. 
 
 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 
 
 The President continued to slam Corker in a tweet in the late afternoon. 
 
 "Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it. We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done!" he wrote. 
 
 Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it. We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017 
 
 Corker responded on Twitter after Trump's initial tweets: "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning." 
 
 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 
 
 Former US Attorney Preet Bharara, now a senior legal analyst at CNN, retweeted Corker's response, remarking, "An adult day care center whose chief resident can't count to 51." 
 
 An adult day care center whose chief resident can't count to 51... https://t.co/QnXl8tDJm3 — Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) October 8, 2017 
 
 Bharara was fired by Trump a few months into his presidency. 
 
 Later Sunday, California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu expanded on Trump's relationships with members of Congress, saying Corker's response highlighted why Republicans have not been able to pass major legislation this year. 
 
 "Donald Trump is a weak President with low approval ratings who does not command respect on Capitol Hill," Lieu told anchor Ana Cabrera on "CNN Newsroom." "As a result, Trump can't deliver the votes when he needs it. And to make matters worse, Donald Trump is not trying to build relationships. He lashes out and insults members of Congress. And keep in mind, Trump's deficit-exploding tax plan can only lose three Republican Senate votes before it dies." 
 
 "I wish I could replay what people tell me on the floor from my colleagues across the aisle," Lieu continued. "I can't do that, but they are similar to Senator Corker. I could just say this, the President is not respected by many members of Congress. You're seeing that play out in terms of failed legislation, and you see that played out when the President goes after and singles out individual members of Congress and attacks them. That's not how you build relationships." 
 
 Corker, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, defended his record on the Iran deal in an op-ed in The Washington Times last year, saying he led Senate opposition to the Obama-era pact and was joined by almost the entire Senate and House in passing legislation in 2015 to establish a process for congressional review. 
 
 "Without it, there would have been no requirement that Congress receive full details of the deal; no review period for Congress to examine and weigh in on the agreement; no requirement that the president regularly certify that Iran is complying; and no way for Congress to rapidly reimpose sanctions should Iran cheat," Corker wrote. 
 
 The senator has also made some critical comments about Trump's demeanor and temperament in recent weeks. 
 
 Corker said in August that Trump had not yet demonstrated "the stability nor some of the competence" he needed to be successful. 
 
 Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly "help separate our country from chaos." He said Wednesday that Tillerson,Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly "help separate our country from chaos." 
 
 Corker also said Tillerson has not received the support he needs from Trump. 
 
 "I mean, look, I see what's happening here," Corker said. "I deal with people throughout the administration and (Tillerson), from my perspective, is in an incredibly frustrating place, where, as I watch, OK, and I can watch very closely on many occasions, I mean you know, he ends up being not being supported in the way I would hope a secretary of state would be supported, that's just from my vantage point." 
 
 Tillerson, who has reportedly been displeased with Trump and his own role in the administration, made a public statement last week reaffirming his support for the President after news reports spoke of acrimony between the two men -- principally, that Tillerson had questioned Trump's intelligence, calling him a "moron," in front of other top officials. 
 
 Tillerson's statement of support for Trump prompted the President to say his secretary of state had refuted the story about the insult. Trump later told reporters inside a Las Vegas hospital, where he was visiting the victims of last Sunday's mass shooting, that he has "total confidence" in Tillerson and said reports that the secretary of state called him a moron were "fake news" and "totally made up." ||||| Washington (CNN) Hours before Donald Trump was set to huddle with Senate Republicans to rally support for his tax cut measure, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker delivered an absolute bludgeoning of the President . And even that may be an understatement. 
 
 In an interview with CNN's Manu Raju , Corker said the President consistently doesn't tell the truth, dodged on whether Trump should have the nuclear codes, said Trump wasn't a role model for children, said he would not ever support him again and repeatedly suggested that Trump "debases" the country. 
 
 It was something else. Below, I've picked the nine roughest Corker lines and ranked them from least to most devastating. 
 
 9. "The shame of it is, there are some some really good people around him, and if he would stay out of their way and let them perform, people like (Rex) Tillerson and (James) Mattis and others, we could really make progress on things that matter greatly to our country." 
 
 Think about this. Corker is saying that if only Trump would get out of the way, Republicans could actually get some things done. He views Trump as the main impediment to getting things done in Washington. And this is the least damning thing Corker said about Trump in his interview with Manu! 
 
 8. "I would hope the staff over there would figure out ways of controlling him when they know that everything he said today was absolutely untrue." 
 
 This echoes Corker's comments about the White House functioning as an "adult daycare center" in which the job of lots of smart and serious people is to keep the President from doing anything truly destructive to the country. Rather than doing the work of the country, Corker suggests, the main focus of the White House is managing the President's moods and tempers. 
 
 7. "Four times he encouraged me to run and told me he would endorse me. I don't know. it's amazing." 
 
 Corker, again, is noting that he believes Trump is lying about the nature of their conversation last month at the White House. Trump continues to insist Corker begged for his endorsement and said he couldn't win -- and would have to retire -- without it. Corker has consistently argued that Trump not only asked him to run again but offered to endorse him and campaign with him. Someone is lying. And, based on track record, I think we have a pretty good idea who it is. 
 
 6. "I think that he's proven himself unable to rise to the occasion ... I don't think that that's possible. He's obviously not going to rise to the occasion as president." 
 
 This quote comes in the context of Corker telling Manu about dinners and meetings that he and other Republican senators have had with Trump in which they urged him to moderate some of his natural bomb-throwing tendencies. He didn't. And, according to Corker, he won't. This is as good as it gets, Corker is saying. Which is pretty damning. 
 
 5. "The President has great difficulty with the truth. On many issues." 
 
 Corker wouldn't call Trump a "liar" in the interview with Manu. But he did everything but. The quote above suggests that Corker believes Trump's natural state is to not tell the truth. Related: Corker is talking about the President, aka the single most powerful person in the country. 
 
 4. "I don't know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard, and debases our country in a way that he does, but he does." 
 
 That word "debase" is a powerful one. It means, quite literally: "To reduce in quality or value; adulterate." So what Corker is saying is that Trump is tarnishing the country by the way he acts and what he says. Wowza. 
 
 3. "We are going to be doing hearings on some of the things that he purposely is breaking down, relationships we have around the world that have been useful to our nation." 
 
 What exactly does this mean? Corker, as chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, is going to hold hearings seeking accountability for the decisions Trump has made as President? He is going to hold hearings aimed at restoring trust between the US and our traditional allies? Something else? No matter what, it's a big deal. 
 
 2. "I think world leaders are very aware that much of what he says is untrue." 
 
 Remember that this is the GOP head of a major Senate committee speaking. Corker isn't popping off. He actually talks to world leaders and, presumably, knows of what he speaks. Consider then what this means: World leaders -- our allies and our adversaries -- know that Trump is often lying. The chaos that can -- and will -- create in the world is hard to wrap your head around. And terrifying. 
 
 1. "When his term is over, I think the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth telling, and the -- just the name calling, the things that I think, the debasement of our nation is what we will be remembered most important, and that's regretful."
– President Trump heads to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a meeting with GOP senators, but his feud with one of them in particular heated up in advance. In appearances on morning talk shows, Bob Corker said the president should leave senators alone to work on a tax plan. “I would recommend that, based on recent history and just interactions,” Corker said on Today, per the Washington Post. “I think that’s the best way for us to have success.” Trump quickly responded on Twitter. "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," Trump wrote. "Corker dropped out of the race in Tennesse [sic] when I refused to endorse him, and now is only negative on anything Trump," he added. "Look at his record!" After which, Corker returned fire on Twitter, criticizing the "same untruths from an utterly untruthful president" and, notably, using a hashtag of "AlertTheDaycareStaff." (The Post agrees that Trump is stretching the truth on both Iran and the endorsement issues.) Politico notes that the attacks and counter-attacks come just hours before what is supposed to be a "unity" meeting at which Trump and Republicans will talk about changes to the tax system and health care. Corker, meanwhile, doubled down on his Trump insults in a CNN interview. "I don't know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard, and debases our country in a way that he does, but he does." In fact, he added that Trump's legacy as president will be the "debasing of our nation." CNN analyst Chris Cillizza rounds up and provides commentary on more of Corker's slams.