The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump had quite a showdown with Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake today:
Donald Trump’s private meeting Thursday with Senate Republicans — designed to foster greater party unity ahead of the national convention in Cleveland — grew combative as the presumptive presidential nominee admonished three senators who have been critical of his candidacy and predicted they would lose their reelection bids, according to two Republican officials with direct knowledge of the exchanges.
Trump’s most tense exchange was with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has been vocal in his concerns about the business mogul’s candidacy, especially his rhetoric and policies on immigration that the senator argues alienate many Latino voters and others in Arizona.
When Flake stood up and introduced himself, Trump told him, “You’ve been very critical of me.”
“Yes, I’m the other senator from Arizona — the one who didn’t get captured — and I want to talk to you about statements like that,” Flake responded, according to two Republican officials.
Flake was referencing Trump’s comments last summer about the military service of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict. Trump questioned whether McCain was a war hero because he was captured.
Flake told Trump that he wants to be able to support him — “I’m not part of the Never Trump movement,” the senator said — but that he remains uncomfortable backing his candidacy, the officials said.
Trump said at the meeting that he has yet to attack Flake hard but threatened to begin doing so. Flake stood up to Trump by urging him to stop attacking Mexicans. Trump predicted that Flake would lose his reelection, at which point Flake informed Trump that he was not on the ballot this year, the sources said.
Asked in a Senate hallway later about his exchange with Trump, Flake declined to elaborate.
“No, I’ll just leave it,” he told reporters, adding “my position remains, I want to support the nominee. I really do. I just can’t support him given the things that he’s said.”
So it’s probably safe to take Flake off the VP shortlist.
This article appears in Jul 7-13, 2016.
Noticeably absent is any word of Crooked Hillary’s lying to the American people and James Komey’s testimony that they never put her under oath. Instead you spend time attacking Trump. That’s what 8 year olds do when they are caught lying.
Even MSNBC is now saying Hillary and her whole lying mess can not be trusted.
Is America this stupid, or just lazy? Unemployment among black youth is 59%. To not care is racist.
Instead let Elijah Cummings tell you it’s a partisan witch hunt. And political the a ter. That’s what he does. That’s all he does.
Lois Lerner ring a bell? How about Jonathan Gruber? What a disgraceful 8 years this has been.
‘at which point Flake informed him he’s not on the ballot this year’. comedy gold. i’m no fan of Sen. Flake but have some admiration for him for being honest and real about his concerns over Trump.
Another example of how Trump, at his most basic level, is a bully – albeit a rich bully – a bully none the less. Trump has the requisite skillset for an elementary school yard, a corporate raider or both, but he has demonstrated again and again the he has neither the intelligence nor temperament to be the President of the United States.
Then let’s all give our top national security information to Hillary. She has never mishandled and then/ or lied about anything.
Well there was that cattlefutures thing. And then billing records from Rose Law Firm. I guess I forgot about the missing FBI files on their political opponents. And the firing of the WH travel office. And Bill. And Whitewater. And Benghazi. And email servers…..and, and, and…..
But those were nothing.
Take a good look at the people defending them.
Rat, all I can ask is, this is the choice facing the electorate in November? As an independent I can’t imagine voting for either of the “presumptive party candidates.” So I’m putting forward a write in ballot for Al Franken (D) and Jill Stein (G).
VOTE FRANKEN-STEIN 2016!
And no, I’m not kidding.
I wish you were. I will not risk the security of our citizens by voting for Hillary. A vote for anybody but Trump puts her in office. Then I must vote for Trump. He doesn’t need the money. And she has lost all credibility.
By the way, why did Bill Clinton board Loretta Lynch’s airplane? We need him to answer that under oath. All Lynch said was that “her door opened and he walked in.” Really? Her security detail had stand down orders?
She said she asked him about grandkids and golf. But why did HE board her plane?
The two-party systems was bought and paid for a long time ago as evidenced by the candidates that they foist upon the electorate — especially this time around. Who you vote for is as relevant today as your choice between Coke and Pepsi — they are both unhealthy and they will rot your teeth. Those who are actually running things will continue unimpeded in their quest for power and wealth until a catastrophic event, either man-made or natural, forces a redistribution of wealth, e.g., pandemic plagues, world wars or global climate change — oh wait….
Wait a minute smitty that sounds like a conspiracy. Besides hadn’t you heard the federal government rigger USGS reports to show temperature increases?
I have to disagree with your position Trump. There were 17 candidates so you can’t say they foisted him on the electorate. I think people are so sick and tired of lies, empty promises, and wasteful spending with poor results that they did what any thinking person would do.
They chose an outsider. And I believe that Hillary is in for the race of her life. Will she break laws to win? 54% in a poll today say she should have been prosecuted.
Her supporters call for social justice. She would be a good place to start.
Flake is a hypocrite. He wants it both ways. He wants to appear reasonable and interested in moving the Donald into a moderate direction. But his actions and voting record are the opposite. His votes are consistently with McConnells brain dead obstructionists. He shows little effort at finding compromise solutions. Hillary with all her flaws is Lincoln compared to lithe Donald. He is like little McCain, will show any position to stay elected.
Flake is a rino flake
Art,
“…lies, empty promises, and wasteful spending with poor results…” That pretty well sums up most of Trump’s business endeavors. The only thing missing from Trump is the cheap white pleather belt and slip-on loafers of a used car salesman. Put him in the White House and he’ll be selling military hardware on EBay, renting out rooms in the White House, serving Trump steaks in the formal dining rooms and erecting a giant gold “T” on top of every national building in the country. We fought a revolution against the King of England and now you want to elect the “King of Debt”? I spent more than 20 years defending this nation against all enemies – foreign and domestic – and Trump is the biggest threat this nation has faced since the English burned Washington in 1812.
Where is Hunter Thompson when we really need him? I’m not sure the gonzer would be able to keep up with this circus of fear and loathing in the homeland, even on an acid/mescaline cocktail and a tank of bourbon.
Miss the man.
the fact that the term “RINO” exists is sad and funny. by reinforcing that the republican party only adheres to some purest form of conservatism and allows no moderation just reinforces the stereotype that they are the party of exclusion. no equivalent term is used nearly as frequently by democrats against other democrats. this is why their party has larger numbers. if republicans didnt have the advantage of their party’s influence stretched across larger geographical areas and could only hold as much federal power as what the majority of americans voted for, they would not control the house or the senate
All these GOP senators and congressmen are/were the Establishment, whom did nothing for the people for years except enriching themselves and to stay on power!! Why should Trump wants their endorsement if he wants to make changes??
Jeff Flake’s finest moment. I wish that he could be this man in public.
If you don’t want Trump in office, vote for Bernie Sanders. The choice is a no-brainer.
I’m not sure, Kathy T., how a write -in vote for Bernie, will prevent Trump from winning. As a Sanders supporter and an independent, I questioned his decision to run as a Democrat from the beginnings of his campaign. In 20/20 hindsight he should have run as an independent, his choice of political affiliation.
We can take some cold comfort in the pressure Sanders and his supporters placed on Her Inevitableness and point to swings to the left in the party’s platform, I suppose. But really! That platform and its planks will be burned the week after the election as the Incrementalist settles in to her usual patterns of cronyism, lies and miscalculations.
That is if Clinton beats Trump. And that is no sure thing.
Flake is completely in favor of high immigration rates and open borders. I’d be astounded if he doesn’t get a strong primary challenge next time he’s up for reelection.
If Sanders had run as an independent he would have taken enough votes from each party to win Dems don’t trust Hillary and they can vote against their conscience or stay home.Same on Trump. Bernie went after big money and lost this one for the little people. Socialists always want to spend somebody else’s money.
Still could be true that Trump is a “false flag” candidate who has no good intentions about winning the office. He is not a Republican of any quality.
Rat, 7,000,000+ donations @$27 each is hardly going after the big money (I know, I contributed more than that). Look to Hilary for the SuperPACS, Wall Street, Big Pharma and Big Energy bucks. What is funny: Both Trump and Sanders without the big pocket donors have done nearly as well as the She Witch from Hell.
Two of the three candidates still in it told big money to f…off. I love the smell of disruption in the morning.
Vote Green or Libertarian and deny both the crook and the bigoted bully the 270 electoral votes required to win, throwing the election into the House of Representatives. Yes, you’ll get a Republican but they hopefully won’t be a crook or bigoted bully. Just sayin’.
By big money I meant Sanders ran as a Democrat hoping to land big party money. He has never been a Democrat as is Trump has never been a Republican. But a third option created the 92 scenario where Perot got Bill Clinton elected. They know better.
Recent article in the NYT: “Would Donald Trump Quit if He Wins the Election? He Doesn’t Rule It Out”
and more,
“Now he is refusing to rule out an even more dramatic departure, one that would let him avoid the grueling job of governing, return to his business and enjoy his now-permanent status as a news media celebrity.”
Great.