Republican Senator Jeff Flake blasts ‘reckless, outrageous’ Trump
Arizona politician is the latest member of the GOP to quit rather than serve under the US President
Republican Senator Jeff Flake has launched an extraordinary attack on Donald Trump as he announced he would not be standing for re-election in 2018.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, the Arizona politician said he was retiring at the end of his term because the GOP had “given in or given up on core principles in favour of a more viscerally satisfying anger and resentment” under Trump.
He added: “Reckless, outrageous and undignified behaviour has become excused and countenanced as ‘telling it like it is’ when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Flake implored Republicans to “do away with the political considerations that have enabled Trump to challenge to norms of governance and basic decorum,” The Guardian says.
While the Senator is one of Trump’s bluntest Republican critic, his speech “represents a significant elevation of his rhetoric”, says The Atlantic.
Flake is the latest Republican to announce he is retiring due to the actions of Trump, following chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee Bob Corker, with whom the US President has been fighting a public war of words.
Prior to Flake’s speech, Corker told CNN that Trump’s presidency would be remembered for “the debasing of our nation, the constant non-truth telling, and the name calling”, adding: “I think world leaders are very aware that much of what he says is untrue.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Blood minerals in DR Congo
Under the Radar Battle for control of DRC fuelled by increasing demand for minerals such as coltan and cobalt, crucial in smartphones and laptops
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'The current milk contest reopens a scrimmage'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The biggest international naming disputes in history
The Explainer Nations have often been at odds with each other over geographic titles
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The biggest international naming disputes in history
The Explainer Nations have often been at odds with each other over geographic titles
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Trump sparks chaos with spending, aid freezes
Speed Read A sudden freeze on federal grants and loans by President Donald Trump's administration has created widespread confusion
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What could happen to the US food supply under Trump's isolationist agenda?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president's plan to deport undocumented workers and levy massive taxes on international imports might have repercussions on your dinner plate
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump feuds with Colombia on deportee flights
Speed Read Colombia has backed off from a trade war with the U.S., reaching an agreement on accepting deported migrants following tariff threats from President Donald Trump
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump proposal to 'clean out' Gaza gets cool reception
Speed Read U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt rejected President Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians leave Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The new JFK, RFK and MLK files: what to expect
The Explainer Will the release of documents on the assassinations that 'shattered the 60s' satisfy the conspiracy theorists?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What have we learned from week one of Trump 2.0?
Today's Big Question After five days in power, Donald Trump has wasted little time pushing boundaries
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Measuring isolation isn't a good way to track loneliness'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published