Trump alienates ANOTHER senator as he announces support for 'toxic' Arizona Republican Jeff Flake's far-right primary challenger
- Trump said on Twitter that he's pleased to see Dr. Kelli Ward running against Sen. Jeff Flake in next year's Arizona Republican primary election
- He called Flake a 'flake' and said he's 'toxic'
- Ward is a controversial conservative who ran against Sen. John McCain in 2016 and said this year that he should step down after a brain cancer diagnosis
- Trump will hold a rally next Tuesday in Phoenix, where he is expected to rail against Flake and may formally endorse Ward
President Donald Trump attacked Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake on Thursday morning as 'toxic' and backed his far-right primary challenger, just days ahead of a planned rally in Phoenix.
'Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!' Trump tweeted.
Ward, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, unsuccessfully ran against Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2016. She announced late last year that she would challenge Flake in 2018.
Donald Trump praised Dr. Kelli Ward on Thursday, tweeting his approval of her primary challenge to Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in next year's Arizona primary
Trump called Flake 'toxic' and said he's 'WEAK' on borders and crime
Flake, who came to the Senate in 2008, was one of the 'Gang of Eight' who proposed in 2013 giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants
She drew widespread condemnation last month for saying McCain should resign – so she could take over his seat – just one day after he announced he had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
'I hope that Senator McCain is going to look long and hard at this, that his family and his advisers are going to look at this, and they're going to advise him to step away as quickly as possible,' Ward said in a radio interview.
'We can't be at a standstill while we wait for John McCain to determine what he's going to do,' she added, talking about the GOP's legislative priorities in Washington.
Ward also angered fellow Republicans in June with a fundraising email that attacked Flake on the same day he narrowly escaped death when a left-wing gunman opened fire on a GOP congressional baseball practice in northern Virginia.
Ward raised eyebrows last week when two leaders of a prominent pro-Trump super PAC joined her campaign.
Ward has been widely criticized for saying Sen. John McCain, whom she unsuccessfully ran against in 2016, should step down following a brain cancer diagnosis
Flake has repeatedly said on television that Republicans should stand up to Trump. The 53-year-old came to the Senate as a conservative but later morphed into a more moderate deal-maker on Capitol Hill.
He was part of the 'Gang of Eight' in 2013, a bipartisan group of senators who crafted a comprehensive immigration reform package that included a route to legalized status for millions of illegal immigrants.
Trump will hold a rally in Phoenix next week as he prepares to rail against Flake, and may endorse his primary challenger
He also angered fellow Republicans when he backed Barack Obama's policy of normalizing relations with Cuba.
Trump will hold a rally next Tuesday in Phoenix, where he held several campaign events last year.
Those campaign appearances were marked by unequivocal calls for a crackdown on illegal immigration and the completion of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Flake was consistently critical of Trump during the 2016 campaign, refusing to endorse him.
Most watched News videos
- Shocking moment school volunteer upskirts a woman at Target
- Despicable moment female thief steals elderly woman's handbag
- Murder suspects dragged into cop van after 'burnt body' discovered
- Chaos in Dubai morning after over year and half's worth of rain fell
- 'Inhumane' woman wheels CORPSE into bank to get loan 'signed off'
- Sweet moment Wills handed get well soon cards for Kate and Charles
- Shocking scenes at Dubai airport after flood strands passengers
- Prince William resumes official duties after Kate's cancer diagnosis
- Appalling moment student slaps woman teacher twice across the face
- Shocking footage shows roads trembling as earthquake strikes Japan
- Prince Harry makes surprise video appearance from his Montecito home
- Shocking scenes in Dubai as British resident shows torrential rain
