Despite those encouraging noises, it’s still difficult to find anyone who’s changed their mind about Trump even after he fired his divisive former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. And Trump is still making Republicans wince, whether it’s his attacks on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as “Pocahontas” or declaring new trade deals as a “rape” of the United States.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), another senator up for reelection in 2018 in a heavily Latino state, has been openly begging for Trump to give him and other distressed Republicans a reason to join his campaign. But he called Trump’s attacks on trade deals “very, very bothersome and very damaging.”
“It’s only been a couple of days. He’s shown those signs before and just snapped right back to the old Donald. So it’s a little too early to tell,” Flake said.
Yet rather than specific policy differences with individual senators — which is expected between a nominee and rank-and-file lawmakers — Lee’s concerns go even deeper: a fundamental difference over the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch, a subject Lee has written about in his book,“Our Lost Constitution.” As Lee promotes the release of a paperback version, he finds himself relating the entire point of the book in the context of Trump — and why Lee can’t support him.
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