President Donal Trump is inviting a primary challenge in the 2020 election with his governing style, Sen. Jeff Flake said on Wednesday.
The frequent Trump critic was responding to a question posed during an interview on Georgia Public Broadcasting's "Political Rewind," in which he was asked whether the U.S. president could face a Republican challenger in the primary.
"I don’t know, I think that certainly depends on him," Flake said in the interview. "I think he could govern in a way that he wouldn't. But I think that the way, the direction he's headed right now, just kind of drilling down on the base rather than trying to expand the base, I think he's inviting one."
Trump and Flake locked horns in 2016, prior to the elections, when the Arizona senator announced his refusal to back Trump, the Washington Examiner noted.
This followed the emergence of derogatory comments made by the president about women, which was recorded on an "Access Hollywood" tape.
Since then the two have made a point of publicly opposing one another.
Flake recently released a book, "Conscience of a Conservative," in which he challenges the Trump presidency.
"The American conservative movement has lost its way," he wrote. "Given the state of our politics, it is no exaggeration to say that this is an urgent matter."
Fueling the fire, Trump has also frequently criticized Flake.
At Tuesday’s campaign rally in Phoenix, the president spoke out against Flake, without naming him, Business Insider noted.
"And nobody wants me to talk about your other senator who's weak on borders, weak on crime — so I won't talk about him," Trump said, referring to Flake. "Nobody knows who the hell he is.
"See, I haven't mentioned any names, so now everybody's happy," Trump said.