What Bob Corker’s Fears Over North Korea Tell Us About The Trump Administration

By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnell
Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., pauses before a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to become the US ambassador to Russia, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington.
Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., pauses before a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to become the US ambassador to Russia, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., pauses before a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to become the US ambassador to Russia, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington.
Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., pauses before a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to become the US ambassador to Russia, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

What Bob Corker’s Fears Over North Korea Tell Us About The Trump Administration

By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnell
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Bob Corker, a powerful Republican senator who runs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been locked in a public feud with President Trump.

The tensions spilled into public over the weekend when The New York Times published an interview with Corker. In it, the senator feared Trump was leading America down a path towards “WWIII.” 

Corker has been somewhat of an unofficial foreign policy adviser to President Trump, and his most recent concerns are over going to war against North Korea. Trump has famously promised “fire and fury” against North Korea and alluded offhandedly to a “calm before the storm” with military officials last week. 

Politico reported that Corker often had to consult with Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on how to stay rational and distract Trump from provoking other countries. 

Yoni Appelbaum, a senior editor at The Atlantic, joins us to discuss.