Posted October 10, 2017 at 10:02 AM | Updated October 10, 2017 at 10:02 AM
Donald Trump
Photos: AP
BY DOUGLAS PERRY
“Sen. Corker is an absolute disgrace,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said on Fox News this week. “If Bob Corker has any honor, any decency, he should resign immediately. He should not let those words stand.”
Bannon is referring to comments the Tennessee senator made about President Donald Trump. But why is he getting so worked up?
Prominent Republican politicians have been slamming Donald Trump for as long as Donald Trump has been in the political arena. Indeed, this is part of what the president’s most dedicated supporters love about him: Mainstream Republicans hate him almost as much as mainstream Democrats do. As a refresher, we offer 17 of the toughest criticisms of Trump from his fellow GOP leaders.
Rand Paul
17.
“Have you ever had a speck of dirt fly into your eye? (It’s) annoying, irritating and might even make you cry. If the dirt doesn’t go away, it will keep scratching your cornea until eventually it blinds you with all its filth. A speck of dirt is way more qualified to be president.”
-- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, on candidate Donald Trump in 2016
John McCain
16.
“More and more of our fellow citizens seem to be flirting with authoritarianism and romanticizing it as our moral equivalent. ... I refuse to accept that our values are morally equivalent to those of our adversaries. I am a proud, unapologetic believer in the West, and I believe we must always, always stand up for it. For if we do not, who will?”
-- Arizona Sen. John McCain, referring to Trump’s refusal to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin
Ben Sasse
15.
“Mr. Trump’s relentless focus is on dividing Americans, and on tearing down rather than building back up this glorious nation.”
-- Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse
Susan Collins
14.
“I didn’t support the president when he was our party’s nominee. That was a very difficult position for me to take. I’d never taken it before. ... (T)hat was very hard for me to do as a lifelong Republican.”
-- Maine Sen. Susan Collins