Trump attacks Corker: ‘Tennessee not happy’ with GOP senator

President Trump on Friday fired back at Republican Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.), tweeting that Corker has privately asked the president whether he should run for reelection.

Trump was responding to Corker’s remarks last week that Trump lacks the “stability” and “competence” to be president.

“Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ’18. Tennessee not happy!” Trump tweeted.

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

{mosads}Corker last week criticized Trump’s reaction to violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., saying he hasn’t shown that he understands what “made this nation great.”

“I do think there need to be some radical changes. 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, and we need for him to be successful,” Corker said.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ripped Corker for the comments during Thursday’s press briefing, the first one since the senator’s remarks.

“I think that’s a ridiculous and outrageous claim and doesn’t dignify a response from this podium,” Sanders said in response to a question about Corker’s statement.

The senator’s comments raised eyebrows both because of his stature within Congress as well as his past support for Trump. Corker is up for reelection in 2018.

Corker first won election in 2006 for an open seat after Sen. Bill Frist’s (R) retirement, narrowly beating Democrat Harold Ford Jr. by less than 3 points. But he cruised to reelection in 2012 with more than 64 percent of the vote.

Corker was briefly considered to be Trump’s vice president last year before removing himself from consideration.

Trump has fired shots at a number of Republicans this week. On Thursday he attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in a tweet, blasting them for not tying a measure raising the debt ceiling to a veterans affairs bill. He also slammed McConnell for failing to repeal ObamaCare last month.

And Trump ripped Arizona Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain during a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday, though he mentioned neither by name. He also hit Flake in a tweet the morning after the rally.