Tennessee senator Bob Corker, a Republican who has announced that he will not run for re-election in 2018, clearly feels free to speak his mind now about what he really thinks about Donald Trump, without fear of consequences. In an extraordinary statement last week, Corker said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly “are those people that help separate our country from chaos.”

The idea that Trump needed minders to prevent him from going off the rails and creating chaos, while true, was unlikely to endear him to Trump and the later, never one to ignore an insult (unless it comes from LeBron James), immediately fired back at Corker in a series of tweets.

Trump tweeted, “Senator Bob Corker ‘begged’ me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said ‘NO’ and he dropped out (said he could not win without… ..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said ‘NO THANKS.’ He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal! Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn’t have the guts to run!”

And Corker then fired back, “It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.”

Oh, snap! That has got to smart. Let’s see what Trump comes back with.

Corker is winning this exchange so far since his tweets are wittier and more biting. Trump’s tweets have a blunt, sledgehammer-like quality. He really needs to get better writers at his adult day care center.

Let’s face it, Corker and Tillerson, who has called Trump a “fucking moron”, are obviously saying what anyone other than a Trump fan obviously realizes, that Trump is totally out of his depth and his combination of ignorance and narcissism are a threat to the world. What is not clear is what they will do if and when they are faced with a decision by Trump that is not ‘merely’ embarrassing or fiscally or socially irresponsible, but actually dangerous.

The ugly state of America’s democracy is on full display for the whole world to observe and marvel.