"But time and time again Congress has made promises and failed to deliver. If any one is being alienated it's people who are promising things and not delivering," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP White House on GOP senator attacks: Trump hasn't 'alienated anyone'

The White House on Tuesday tried to downplay President Donald Trump's attacks on GOP senators, saying he hasn't alienated anyone, and that "Congress has alienated themselves."

Trump feuded over the weekend with retiring Sen. Bob Corker, a crucial vote for the president's legislative agenda, making the Tennessee Republican the latest GOP senator to incur Trump's wrath after the president verbally lashed Sens. Mitch McConnell, Jeff Flake, John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and others.


"I don't think he's alienated anyone," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during the White House press briefing. "I think Congress has alienated themselves by not actually getting the job done that the people of this country elected them to do."

Trump on Sunday accused the Tennessee Republican of begging him for an endorsement ahead of the 2018 midterms. The attack on the Senate Foreign Relations chairman was particularly notable because it came ahead of major tax legislation that Trump will need full GOP support for in order to move forward.

“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),” Trump said in a series of tweets. “He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said ‘NO THANKS.’ He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!”

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Corker, for his part, said Trump has approached the presidency “like he’s doing ‘The Apprentice’ or something," and in his own tweet said, "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."

But when asked, Trump has contended the spat will do little to damage any prospects for tax reform, telling reporters on Tuesday: “I don’t think so."

The White House echoed that sentiment Tuesday afternoon, choosing instead to blame Congress for any legislative holdup on tax reform.

"They all promised and campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare," Sanders said. "They haven't done that. They have campaigned on tax reform, hopefully we see that happen. We are certainly committed to that and think we'll get there.

"But time and time again Congress has made promises and failed to deliver. If any one is being alienated it's people who are promising things and not delivering," she added.