Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker (R) said President Trump "has not demonstrated that he understands the character of this nation" in grave comments delivered at the Rotary Club of Chattanooga on Thursday. "The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to ... in order to be successful. And we need for him to be successful," Corker said.

The senator pointedly added that Trump does not appear to understand "what has made this nation great and what it is today."

The remarks followed a number of tweets from Trump on Thursday, some of which bashed Republican senators and others that defended Confederate monuments. Many reporters and analysts consider Corker to be something of a bellwether on Trump:

I generally consider Corker the bellwether Senator on Trump. Eager to encourage president when possible, but if pushed too far he'll do this https://t.co/UxR2EnEQ0z — Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) August 17, 2017

Important moment. Corker has been something of a bellwether on Trump. https://t.co/9kFOUxOmFe — James Pindell (@JamesPindell) August 17, 2017