President Trump mocked Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) for criticizing him, writing in a tweet that the retiring senator has just an 18 percent approval rating and that his other GOP colleagues gave Trump a standing ovation on Tuesday.
Trump offered the tweet a day after Flake shocked the Senate by announcing his retirement. The senator then gave a lengthy floor speech that criticized Trump’s behavior and leadership without naming the president. Flake argued that too many in his party were complicit in Trump’s behavior.
In a television interview on CNN Wednesday morning, Flake said a number of his GOP colleagues in the Senate had expressed concern about Trump’s behavior and leadership.
This is the third time Trump has tweeted about getting a “standing ovation” from the GOP senators during their Tuesday lunch.