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Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to reporters in the Senate subway underneath the US Capitol, on October 17, 2017 in Washington, DC.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threw another barb in his feud with Sen. Bob Corker, complicating a crucial time in the GOP’s push to overhaul the American tax system.
In tweets, Trump contended the Tennessee Republican is “fighting” tax cuts and “couldn’t get elected dog catcher” in his state. The president again claimed that Corker chose not to run for re-election when Trump “refused” to endorse him and said he “now is only negative on anything Trump.” Corker’s office has disputed Trump’s characterization of the senator’s re-election decision, saying Trump privately said he wanted the senator to run again.
Trump’s latest social media jab at a senator in his own party comes only hours before he is set to have lunch with Republican senators and discuss tax policy, the main focus of the Republican agenda.
Trump 1: 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 2: …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!
Corker responded to Trump on Twitter, calling Trump’s charges the “same untruths from an utterly untruthful president.” “Alert the day care staff,” he added, pointing to his recent reference to the White House as an “adult day care center.”
Corker tweet: Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #
AlertTheDaycareStaff
Trump’s tweets apparently came in response to comments Corker made to NBC earlier Tuesday. He said that he hoped the White House would “step aside” and let the Senate and House tax-writing committees carry out the normal process of crafting a tax bill.
“I think that’s the best way for us to have success,” he said of Trump staying out of the debate. He also called Trump’s appearance at the lunch a “photo op.”
The latest back-and-forth between Trump and a top senator in his party threatens to throw a wrench in the GOP’s push to pass a tax plan this year that chops rates for individuals and corporations. Corker had already expressed concerns about supporting a bill that would balloon the federal deficit.
The current GOP tax framework, though far from finalized, could seriously expand the deficit if Republicans do not add any revenue boosters.
The House could pass the Senate’s version of a budget this week, a key step in the process. Then, tax-writing committees would work toward crafting a draft bill that they could release in the coming weeks.
The GOP has struggled to agree on provisions that could offset the tax cuts. On Monday, Trump said the Republican plan would not make changes to a popular retirement savings plan, ruling out one possible money-raising tool.
On Tuesday morning, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told CNBC he believes that Corker will ultimately get behind the tax plan despite his reservations about the budget deficit and disagreements with Trump.
