President Donald Trump told Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) that he could count on a presidential endorsement if he ran for re-election, despite Trump’s claim on Sunday that he denied Corker’s request for one, according to several reports.
CNN reported on Sunday, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, that Trump reached out to Corker when the senator announced his plan to retire in 2018 and asked him to reconsider.
“The President called the senator early last week 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,” one source told CNN.
And Corker’s chief of staff Todd Womack gave the Daily Beast on Sunday the same statement.
Trump on Sunday claimed that Corker “begged” him for an endorsement and “didn’t have the guts to run” when Trump turned him down.
“It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center,” Corker responded. “Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”
