Trump says Corker feud won’t hurt tax reform

President Trump on Tuesday denied his feud with Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) will endanger his effort to overhaul the nation’s tax system. 

“I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I think we’re well on our way. The people of this country want tax cuts, they want lower taxes.”

That assessment is at odds with many Republicans in Washington, who worry the spat will stunt momentum behind tax reform. 

{mosads}Trump can only afford to lose two GOP senators on the tax bill, and Corker has said he would not support a plan that increases the federal deficit. 

If Trump is unable to sign a tax overhaul, it would represent another major legislative failure that would raise questions about his ability to deliver on his campaign promises. 

In spite of Republican worries that Trump is alienating Corker with his war of words, Trump escalated his attacks earlier on Tuesday.

Trump tweeted that Corker sounded like a “fool” in a recent interview with The New York Times, which the president suggested was surreptitiously recorded. He also referred to the Foreign Relations Committee chairman as “Liddle’ Bob Corker.”

Corker told the paper that Trump is treating the presidency like a “reality show” and that his recklessness risks putting the nation “on the path to World War III.”

The Tennessee senator, who is retiring next year, made his comments after Trump claimed he begged him for his endorsement but that he had declined.

Corker shot back on Twitter, saying the White House had become “an adult day care center.”

Trump and Corker were once allies; the senator was reportedly considered to be Trump’s running mate and later secretary of State.