What happened with Trump and Bob Corker?

Trump and Corker have history. Here’s how we got here.

2016

Corker, an establishment figure in the Republican Party, was at first reticent to endorse Trump as he bulldozed his way through to the GOP presidential nomination. Notably, after former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s scorched-earth speech trying to knock Trump off-course, Corker sent a message to “Republican Party leaders”:

“Focus more on listening to the American people and less on trying to stifle their voice. What’s happening in the Republican primary is the result of two things: the fecklessness and ineptness of the Washington establishment in failing to address the big issues facing our country and years of anger with the overreach of the Obama administration. And to be candid, I think the American people should be angrier than they are.”

One month later, Corker praised Trump’s major foreign policy address as a “really good transition in the campaign.”

VP speculation

Summer 2016: Corker is floated as a possible Trump running mate. His chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would bring a heavy dose of international experience to the ticket. Mike Pence is ultimately picked for the job.

Secretary of state

November 2016: After Trump’s election, Corker’s name re-emerges, this time as a potential pick for secretary of state. The job goes to Rex Tillerson.

Charlottesville

Aug. 17: After clashes between white nationalists and counterprotesters broke out in Charlottesville, Va., Corker says Trump did not demonstrate the proper “characteristics of a president” with his response.

Corker also says Trump “has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful.”

Aug. 24: The White House calls Corker’s comments “ridiculous and outrageous” and says they don’t “dignify a response.”

Aug. 25: Trump hits back on Twitter:

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

Re-election

Sept. 11: Corker says he is still undecided about running for re-election, but says he doesn’t believe Trump would encourage a primary challenger against him.

Sept. 15: Trump and Corker have a “productive meeting” at the White House, and Trump “looks forward to continued partnership” with Corker, according to a White House statement.

Sept. 26: Corker announces he won’t run for re-election in 2018.

Twitter

Oct. 8: Sunday morning, Trump tweets Corker isn’t running again because Corker “begged” him for an endorsement and Trump said “no.” Trump also hits him over the Iran nuclear deal and says he “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 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!”

Corker fires back with his own tweet, introducing his “adult day care” insult for the first time.

“It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”

Later, a source tells the Washington Examiner that Trump had actually called Corker the week before and asked him to reconsider retiring, and offered to endorse him.

“All claims made in the president’s tweets are false,” the source said. “The president called the senator early last week and asked him to reconsider his decision not to seek re-election and reaffirmed that he would have endorsed him, as he has said many times.”

Then later, Corker tells the New York Times that Trump is treating the presidency like “a reality show” and could send the U.S. “on the path to World War III.”

Oct. 10: Trump debuts his “Liddle’ Bob Corker” nickname, and says Corker was set up to “sound a fool” in the interview with the New York Times.

Trump later asserts that the Corker feud won’t hurt Republicans’ efforts at tax reform.

The White House issues a further response to Sunday’s back-and-forth Twitter spat, saying Corker is “entitled to his own opinion” about the president “but he’s not entitled to his own facts.”

Oct. 13: Corker says Trump has acted to “publicly castrate” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and is backing the U.S. into a corner on North Korea. Tillerson later replies, “I checked, I’m fully intact.”

Latest

Oct. 24: Corker sets off the latest round by saying on TV that U.S. foreign policy would run more smoothly if Trump stopped getting in the way and left it “to the professionals for a while.”

Trump unleashes a volley of tweets, saying Corker “couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee” and repeats his claim that Corker came to him for an endorsement.

Corker replies, “Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff.”