WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., offered pointed criticism of President Donald Trump on Thursday, becoming the latest Republican lawmaker to speak out against the president in reaction to his response to last weekend's violent events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In remarks to reporters after speaking to Chattanooga's Rotary Club, Corker called for 'radical changes' at the White House and said Trump needs to move to a place where he wakes up daily thinking about what's best for the nation.
'The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful,' Corker said.
'And we need for him to be successful. Our nation needs for him to be successful. It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or Democrat,' he added. 'The world needs our president to be successful.'
Corker argued that Trump needs to demonstrate the characteristics of a president who understands what has made America great and what it is today.
The comments from Corker come as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have criticized Trump's statements after Heather Heyer was killed and nineteen others were wounded after a car crashed into a crowd of anti-white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville on Saturday.
Trump has suggested that blame for the clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters should be shared by both sides.
Asked specifically about Trump's comments, Corker said the president needs to take stock of the role he plays in the nation and move beyond thinking about what's best for him as an individual,
'Helping inspire divisions because it generates support from your political base is not a formula for causing our nation to advance, our nation to overcome the many issues that we have to deal with right now,' Corker said.
Corker, who currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was reportedly under consideration to be Trump's Vice President or Secretary of State.
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