President Trump said Wednesday he may get a boost in Arizona now that Sen. Jeff Flake, whom he said is “very unpopular” in the state, has decided to retire at the end of his term in 2018.
“His poll numbers are terrible. He’s done terribly for the great people of Arizona, a state that likes Donald Trump very much,” the president told reporters before departing Washington for a hurricane relief briefing in Texas. “He would have never won. In fact, even in the primary, he’s way down in the primary. So, he did a smart thing for himself.”
Watch: Sen. Jeff Flake rips Trump while announcing his retirement in his Senate floor speech
Trump said he didn’t blame Flake for choosing to leave the upper chamber next fall, and said the decision will allow him to “get out somewhat gracefully.”
“I think he did the right thing for himself,” Trump said. “I think I’m probably helped greatly in Arizona by what happened with Sen. Flake.”
Flake announced his forthcoming retirement in a floor speech Tuesday, and became the second GOP senator, behind Bob Corker of Tennessee, to decide to leave the upper chamber next fall after routinely criticizing Trump.
