Corker: ‘I Stand By the Comments’ Questioning Trump’s Competence and Stability

Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press‏,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said he stood by his comments questioning President Donald Trump’s competence and stability after his reaction to the violence in Charlottesville, VA earlier this year.

Partial transcript as follows:

TODD: You said something about the president right after Charlottesville, you were — you questioned whether there was a competency and a stability of the office of the presidency at that time. Do you still feel that way?

CORKER: I’m not trying to be critical, but some of the words have been left out. What I said is he has not yet demonstrated some of the competence and some of the stability that might have been reversed, but not yet demonstrated, and we need for him to be successful. I mean, the country needs — the world needs for him to be successful. Look, I stand by those comments and, you know —

TODD: You stand by them today? Meaning you still feel this way?

CORKER: Look, I think that General Kelly has brought in an heir of discipline as far as how the White House operates. I think they did a great job with Texas and Florida during the hurricane, very professional. I thought it took a lot of courage of the president by the president to change his long-held position about Afghanistan. So I’m seeing changes, but I made the comment, I stand by the comments I made at the time. I don’t make comments like that without thinking about them.

TODD: I know you didn’t do it lightly. That’s why it was a big deal.

CORKER: I chose the words. I stand by the words, when I met with the president —

TODD:  What did he say to you?

CORKER: It was kind of humorous. It was, I mean, we spent about five minutes on this topic.

TODD: He remembers any slight, doesn’t he?

CORKER: He remembered. He said you called me incompetent. I said, Mr. President, I knew it was coming, I said here is what I said, and I stand by these comments. Okay. I stand by what I said. But the press said you said — Mr. President, here is what I said, do you want me to read it again? You know, in five minutes, we moved on to the other topic.

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