What did Sen. Bob Corker say about President Trump?

Storified by CMGNationalNews· Mon, Oct 09 2017 15:52:36

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...Donald J. Trump

..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said "NO THANKS." He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!Donald J. Trump

...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!Donald J. Trump

What did Corker say?

About an hour after the last of Trump’s three initial tweets went out into the universe, Corker struck back, implying that the president is immature in a single shared response on Twitter.

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

It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.Senator Bob Corker

Was that it?

The president got the last word in, writing in a tweet on Sunday afternoon that Corker “gave us the Iran Deal, & that’s about it.”

Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that's about it. We need HealthCare, we need Tax Cuts/Reform, we need people that can get the job done!Donald J. Trump

What happened to lead to this?

Trump and Corker have butted heads since at least August, when Corker criticized the president’s response to racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

He told a crowd in Chattanooga in August that Trump hasn’t shown the stability or competence needed to be a successful president, The Tennessean reported.

The president hit back on Twitter, writing that Corker’s statement was strange, “considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ’18.”

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

Corker furthered his criticism last week, saying that he felt that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and chief of staff John Kelly are “those people that help separate our country from chaos,” in response to a report that Tillerson called Trump a “moron” over the summer, according to The Hill

Did Trump’s refusal to endorse Corker really lead him to not seek re-election?

Corker’s chief of staff Todd Womack denied Trump’s claims in a statement released to The Washington Post , saying instead that the president urged Corker to run in 2018.

“The president called Sen. Corker on Monday afternoon 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,” Womack said.

The Tennessean reported last month that Trump was privately encouraging Corker to run for re-election, despite their differences.

Why isn’t Corker seeking re-election?

Corker, who became a member of the U.S. Senate in 2007, announced late last month that he would not seek re-election. He said the decision came after a discussion with his family.

He said that he was always drawn to the “citizen legislator model.”

“While I realize it is not for everyone, I believe with the kind of service I provide, it is the right one for me,” Corker said Sept. 26 in a statement. “I also believe the most important public service I have to offer our country could well occur over the next 15 months, and I want to be able to do that as thoughtfully and independently as I did the first 10 years and nine months of my Senate career.”