Are Trump's Feuds With Tillerson and Corker a Prelude to War?
It is natural to see Donald Trump’s latest feuds, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Senator Bob Corker, as just the most recent outbursts from a president who is only comfortable amid feuding. This is, after all, the guy who spent weeks humiliating his attorney general (but never cut him loose) and who runs his Oval Office on the same terms as his reality show, encouraging rivalries and backstabbing. What’s new is the targets.
There’s certainly some slapstick to the latest round. It includes Trump claiming Corker begged for an endorsement before deciding to retire (all reporting suggests that is untrue), and Corker referring to the White House as an “adult day care” while all but calling the president a liar: “I don’t know why the president tweets out things that are not true. You know he does it, everyone knows he does it, but he does.” A headline in the national paper of record states, accurately and forthrightly, “Trump Mocks Bob Corker’s Height, Escalating Feud with a Key Republican.”
Even more absurdly, the tiff features Trump challenging Tillerson, who reportedly called: “I think it's fake news, but if he did that, I guess we'll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win.” (A State Department spokeswoman clarified Tuesday that the secretary’s IQ is “high.”)
