Flake Says Trump Is ‘Inviting’ A 2020 Primary Challenger

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and other members of the committee, arrive on Capitol Hill Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, for a closed-door meeting with Secretary of State Re... Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and other members of the committee, arrive on Capitol Hill Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, for a closed-door meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis. Earlier, President Donald Trump signed a bill to impose new sanctions on Russia which passed Congress with overwhelming support. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) on Wednesday said President Donald Trump is “inviting” a Republican contender to challenge him for the presidential nomination in 2020 with his present style of governing.

“The direction he’s headed right now, just kind of drilling down on the base rather than trying to expand the base, you know, I think he’s inviting one,” Flake said in an interview on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Political Rewind,” first surfaced by CNN’s KFILE.

Flake said whether a primary challenger comes forward or not “certainly depends on” Trump.

“I think he could govern in a way that he wouldn’t” invite such a challenge, Flake said. “You know, I don’t know. I don’t know. I think that certainly depends on him.”

Trump spent the last week publicly criticizing Flake and praising the senator’s own potential 2018 primary challengers. He called Flake “toxic” in a tweet and “weak on borders, crime and a non-factor in the Senate,” while applauding former Arizona state Sen. Kelli Ward (R) for running against him.

He continued to attack Flake after a rally in the senator’s home state Tuesday, where the President reportedly met with Flake’s potential challengers backstage to discuss getting rid of the senator.

Flake on Thursday morning brushed off Trump’s disapproval and said it was the President’s “prerogative” to act as he wishes.

“I just have to concern myself with my own campaign and my day job of being a senator,” Flake said on Fox News. “So what the President does or — that’s his prerogative.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for erik_t erik_t says:

    So much winning! People have been saying that Donald is very, very popular. The greatest Presidential candidate for 2020 ever. Amazing. Just very, very big.

  2. Avatar for tena tena says:

    Only if he’s still in office Flake. And I don’t think so.

  3. Hey, I wish trump was inviting a 2020 Challenger. If he is, Senator don’t tell him you’re running in '18.

  4. That might be a slot you defer. Polonium delivery systems aren’t exactly a complicated, expensive enterprise.

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