In an interview with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) questions if President Trump will run for re-election in 2020 and says that he wants to see who else is running before deciding whether or not to back Trump.</s>Two Senate Republicans, both of whom are leaving the Senate after their current terms, said they would not necessarily back President Donald Trump for re-election in 2020, with one of them speculating that he may not even seek the Oval Office again.

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“I have no idea who's going to run for president in 2020 and I'm not about to say who I will support for that, so we have no idea who's going to run. Whether the president runs again or not is questionable, candidly,” Sen. Bob Corker, who is retiring from the Senate this year, said on CNN.

The president announced in February that he would run for a second term, and has already named his 2016 digital strategist Brad Parscale as his campaign manager.

Corker added during the interview that he would like to see who else is included in the field of 2020 Republican candidates before making a decision on who to endorse.

The Tennessee senator, who also chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has had a complex relationship with Trump. He had previously questioned the president’s fitness for office, which led to Trump calling him names on Twitter, but eventually the two men reconciled.

He has been asked several times in recent days if he would support the president for re-election.

Just yesterday, he said his position changes by the hour and that many of his colleagues are likewise conflicted.

“Any Republican senator that hasn't been conflicted over this presidency is either comatose or is pretty useless in their blindness,” Corker said during a breakfast with reporters Wednesday.

Sen. Ron Johnson, also appearing on CNN today, chastised an anchor for asking if he would support the current Republican president for re-election, calling it a “gotcha question.”

"It could be a completely different world by 2020. We have a 2018 election first," Johnson said. Johnson, who was re-elected to his seat in 2016, has said that he will not seek re-election again.</s>The Democratic presidential primary in 2020 is destined to be a soul-sucking mess. Expect an endless rehash of the Bernie-Hillary Wars and the frequent use of amorphous terms like "neoliberal shill" and whatever new synonym emerges for "Bernie Bro." But who knew that Republicans might conspire to join the chaos, despite having an incumbent president gunning for reelection?

This week, the news has been chock full of chatter that Donald Trump will not be alone in seeking the Republican nomination next cycle. The juiciest gossip in that regard came from The New York Times, which, in detailing a growing feud between U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and the president, suggested there may be an unholy alliance between Haley and Vice President Mike Pence heading into 2020:

Pence/Haley 2020: We Won't Tweet or Go to Parties Without Mother!

The Draft Haley movement continued on Morning Joe, where the Joe of the Morning suggested the former South Carolina governor would be a formidable candidate:

While a Reaganesque approach to foreign policy doesn't sound so great to South Americans or fans of human rights, it could win over Republican primary voters—mostly because they know what that means. Reagan, after all, Is Good.

All this seismic uncertainty was furthered by Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, one of the Brave Republican Patriots in the Senate willing to criticize the president, and who also happens to be retiring. Corker went on CNN to stir up a little trouble:

Now, a truly brave thing to say would be: The president is clearly unfit for the office he holds and I cannot in good conscience, as someone who cares about the future of this nation and the world, support him for reelection. I guess we'll have to settle for, I don't know if he'll run or who else will run. Regardless, it is remarkable to watch a member of the sitting president's political party refuse to endorse his reelection bid when he has clearly declared it. These are extraordinary times—but extraordinary enough for the president to get primaried?</s>Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), along with a slew of other Republicans interviewed by CNN, dodged questions about whether President Donald Trump had their support in the next presidential election, with Johnson claiming it’s “way too early” to talk Trump 2020.

“Chris, you know it’s way too early to be talking about 2020,” he said Thursday, responding to CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “It could be a completely different world in 2020. We have a 2018 election first. So, you know, listen, I understand the kind of ’gotcha’ question you’re engaging here. But it’s just way too early to even be talking about it.”

Johnson’s not alone, according to CNN’s Manu Raju, who said Thursday he interviewed more than two dozen lawmakers — including Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) — who were all either uncertain about whether Trump would run or said it was too early to offer blanket support for the President. This comes despite Trump’s clear reelection fundraising and campaign rallies.

Outgoing Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) — a vocal Trump critic — took his party’s loose support for the President even further, telling CNN Thursday morning that it “very questionable” if Trump even runs in 2020.

“I have no idea who’s going to run for president in 2020 and I’m not about to say who I will support for that, so we have no idea who’s going to run,” Corker said. “Whether the President runs again or not is questionable, candidly.”

“I don’t know, why would he?” Corker said.</s>Donald Trump has made no secret of his intention to run for reelection in 2020, holding rallies, raising money, and joking that he plans to also run in 2024 and 2028. In a normal world with a normal president, that would be enough for high-profile members of Trump’s party to back his reelection. But this world isn’t normal and CNN reports that a “wide array of House and Senate Republicans are not yet ready to endorse President Donald Trump’s bid for a second term.”

Some of the lawmakers who went on the record with reporter Manu Raju tried to avoid the question of endorsing Trump in two years.

“I don’t know what the world is going to look like,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said. “But let’s say it’s not something I’ve given any thought to.”

Others suggested that Trump, who filed 2020 campaign paperwork on the day he was inaugurated, might not be even be running.

“We need to make sure that he’s actually moving forward and wants to go after this,” Representative Bill Huizenga said.

CNN’s New Day continued to pull the thread in interviews with Republican senators Thursday. “It’s way too early to be talking 2020,” Senator Ron Johnson said when asked about his support for Trump’s reelection. “It could be a completely different world by 2020. We have a 2018 election first.”

Tennessee senator Bob Corker, one of Trump’s most outspoken critics in the Senate, sounded doubtful that Republicans will even have to choose whether to support Trump in 2020. Because, Corker said, he’s not sure Trump will even run.

“I have no idea whether the president will run for reelection nor what the field will be on the Republican side, so I think it’s way too early to weigh in on who won my support,” Corker said on CNN.

“But are you saying you’re not sure the president is going to run?” New Day anchor Alisyn Camerota asked.

“I’m definitely not sure if he’s going to run,” Corker said.</s>Donald Trump has made no secret of his intention to run for reelection in 2020, holding rallies, raising money, and joking that he plans to also run in 2024 and 2028. In a normal world with a normal president, that would be enough for high-profile members of Trump’s party to back his reelection. But this world isn’t normal and CNN reports that a “wide array of House and Senate Republicans are not yet ready to endorse President Donald Trump’s bid for a second term.”

Some of the lawmakers who went on the record with reporter Manu Raju tried to avoid the question of endorsing Trump in two years.

“I don’t know what the world is going to look like,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said. “But let’s say it’s not something I’ve given any thought to.”

Others suggested that Trump, who filed 2020 campaign paperwork on the day he was inaugurated, might not be even be running.

“We need to make sure that he’s actually moving forward and wants to go after this,” Representative Bill Huizenga said.

CNN’s New Day continued to pull the thread in interviews with Republican senators Thursday. “It’s way too early to be talking 2020,” Senator Ron Johnson said when asked about his support for Trump’s reelection. “It could be a completely different world by 2020. We have a 2018 election first.”

Tennessee senator Bob Corker, one of Trump’s most outspoken critics in the Senate, sounded doubtful that Republicans will even have to choose whether to support Trump in 2020. Because, Corker said, he’s not sure Trump will even run.

“I have no idea whether the president will run for reelection nor what the field will be on the Republican side, so I think it’s way too early to weigh in on who won my support,” Corker said on CNN.

“But are you saying you’re not sure the president is going to run?” New Day anchor Alisyn Camerota asked.

“I’m definitely not sure if he’s going to run,” Corker said.</s>Republican Sen. Ron Johnson Ronald (Ron) Harold JohnsonIG report faults fired FBI official McCabe for leak to media GOP sen: Hope Trump missile tweet is just taking a 'stronger negotiating position' GOP senators cast doubt on spending clawback MORE (Wis.) said Thursday that “it’s way too early” to discuss supporting President Trump Donald John TrumpHouse Dems add five candidates to ‘Red to Blue’ program White House notifies Russia that no new sanctions are coming: report Senators push HHS to negotiate lower prices on opioid overdose reversal drug MORE in 2020.

“Chris, you know it’s way too early to be talking about the 2020 ... ” Johnson said on CNN’s “New Day” when asked if he will support Trump in a 2020 re-election bid.

“No, it isn’t not to say that you support the guy who’s president, who’s the head of your party,” CNN anchor Chris Cuomo pushed back.

Johnson argued that there could be a different landscape in 2020 and pointed to the upcoming November midterm elections.

“It could be a completely different world by 2020. We have a 2018 election first,” Johnson said. “So, you know, I understand the kind of ‘gotcha’ question you’re engaging here. But it’s just way too early to even be talking about it.”

Cuomo said he was “offended” by Johnson’s view of the inquiry as a “gotcha” question.

Both parties are currently focused on the upcoming midterms, where the GOP will have to defend its majorities in both the House and the Senate.</s>Thursday on CNN’s “New Day,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) expressed his doubt on President Donald Trump running for election in 2020.

When asked about Trump’s reelection bid, Corker said, “Look, you know, who knows whether President Trump is even going to run.”

He continued, “I have no idea whether the president runs for re-election, nor what the field will be on the Republican side, so I think it’s way too early to weigh in on who one might support.”

“Let me just say this: any president that’s 18 months into their term, or 15, or 16, 17 or whatever is likely to say that they’ll run for reelection. They do not want to be viewed as a lame duck, so, you know, I take it with a grain of salt. It’s just another thing going across the Internet.”

When Alisyn Camerota pressed on if he would support Trump, Corker said, “I want to know who else is in the field.”

He added, “Whether the president runs again or not I think is very questionable, candidly.”</s>Sen. Ron Johnson said Thursday it is too soon to say whether he will support President Trump for re-election, brushing aside the inquiry as a “gotcha question.”

The Wisconsin Republican said the media is way too fixated on the 2020 election and that he is more focused on issues, including the national debt and deficit, and supporting the Trump agenda.

“You know it is way too early to be talking about the 2020 [election],” Mr. Johnson said on CNN’s “New Day” when asked whether he plans to support Mr. Trump’s re-election bid. “It could be a completely different world by 2020. We have a 2018 election first.”

Mr. Johnson called it a “gotcha question” and said that it is “unusual that members of the media would be talking about the 2020 election in 2018.”

CNN reported Thursday that more than two dozen GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill refused to say whether they will back Mr. Trump’s quest for a second term.

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tensions among Republicans about President Donald Trump boiled over on Tuesday as two senators accused Trump of debasing U.S. politics and the country's standing abroad, a rebellion that could portend trouble for his legislative agenda.

 The extraordinary public criticism of the president from Jeff Flake and Bob Corker further strained what had already been a fraught relationship between Trump and fellow Republicans as they try to enact tax reform and other policy items.

 In an emotional speech on the Senate floor, Flake repeatedly targeted Trump's style of governing, saying American politics had become “inured” to "reckless, outrageous and undignified” behavior from the White House.

 "The instinct to scapegoat and belittle threatens to turn us into a fearful, backward-looking people," said the Arizona lawmaker, who announced he would not run for re-election next year.

 "I will not be complicit or silent," Flake said.

 Trump, via Twitter, has been unrelenting in his criticism of Corker and Flake, accusing them of supporting Democratic priorities, and using sometimes slashing language, such as his dismissal of Corker as "liddle Bob Corker."

 By announcing he will be leaving when his term ends in early 2019, Flake effectively freed himself up to speak his mind, without having one eye on voter reactions in his home state. 

 A Morning Consult survey conducted Sept. 24 to Oct. 24 said Flake had an approval rating in Arizona of 30 percent.

 Corker, who has also said he is not running for re-election in Tennessee, accused Trump of telling falsehoods that could be easily proven wrong and willfully damaging the country's standing in the world, eviscerating the president with comments that stirred deepening divisions in the Republican Party.

 "You would think he would aspire to be the president of the United States and act like a president of the United States, but that’s not going to be the case apparently," Corker told reporters. "I’ve seen no evolution in an upward way. In fact, I would say, he’s almost devolved."

 White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders dismissed the comments from Flake and Corker and said Trump wanted senators who could make progress on his policy goals.

 "He wants people to be in the Senate that are committed to actually moving the ball down the field, and I don't think these two individuals necessarily have been as focused on that," she told reporters.

 

 'DISTRACTIONS'

 Republican congressional leaders who have learned to tread carefully amid controversies surrounding Trump, largely stayed on the sidelines of the latest fight.

 "We're going to concentrate on what our agenda is and not any of these other distractions that you all may be interested in," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters.

 Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan played down Corker's criticism of Trump, urging reporters to "put this Twitter dispute aside."

 Great American Pac, a pro-Trump political group, declared victory over Flake and sent out a fund-raising appeal.

 "Senator Flake wisely decided to give up on his own terms rather than fight a losing battle for re-election and have the voters retire him at the ballot box next year," said the group's top strategist, Ed Rollins.

 The president is seeking to build consensus around proposed tax cuts. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but hold just a 52-48 majority in the Senate.

 Securing passage of his tax-cut plan is critically important to Trump, who has yet to get major legislation through Congress since taking office in January.

 Trump visited the Capitol on Tuesday for a policy lunch that was described by participants as productive.

 Over the summer, Trump pilloried Senate Republicans - as a group and some by name - after they failed to generate sufficient votes to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, one of his top presidential campaign promises.

 The dollar lost ground on news that Flake would not seek re-election because it added to investor worries about the fate of the tax plan, which has widely been seen as a potential boost to American companies.

 It recovered after a Bloomberg report that Trump asked senators at a closed-door lunch whom they would support to become the next Federal Reserve chairman. Bloomberg quoted one senator as saying that John Taylor, viewed in the markets as an inflation hawk, got the most votes.

 Trump has also provoked the ire of another respected senior Republican, Senator John McCain, whose war record he mocked during last year's campaign.

 Last week, former Republican President George W. Bush, who has kept a low profile since leaving office in January 2009, took a thinly veiled swipe at Trump in a speech in which he decried "bullying and prejudice" and denounced anti-immigrant sentiment.

 

 (Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Susan Cornwell and Jeff Mason; Writing by Caren Bohan and Steve Holland; Editing by Frances Kerry and Peter Cooney)
Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Bob Corker opt not to commit to endorsing Donald Trump in the 2020 elections.