It's beginning to look like Trump's determination to screw Republican Sen. Jeff Flake may be more than just talk; his White House has been meeting with several of the Republicans mentioned as possible primary challengers.
Since taking office, Trump has spoken with Arizona state Treasurer Jeff DeWit, a top official on his 2016 campaign, on at least two occasions, according to two sources familiar with the talks. More recently, since June, White House officials have also had discussions with former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who has announced her bid, and former Arizona GOP Chairman Robert Graham, who like DeWit is exploring a campaign.
Trump has carried a grudge against Flake because Flake didn't back him in the election. Trump's allies have carried a grudge against Flake because disloyalty to Trump cannot possibly be tolerated, no matter what Trump has done or what the previous Republican stance on such things has been. And apparently none of the sucking-up Flake has done post-election has mellowed Trump in the slightest, though they sure have been trying:
A Flake spokesman, Joshua Daniels, declined to comment on the senator’s conversations with the administration but noted that he had “voted with President Trump over 95 percent of the time this year” and had aggressively backed several White House priorities, including the successful push to confirm Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Flake's real problem, of course, is that despite news reports suggesting Senate leader Mitch McConnell would be "unhappy" with a Trump effort to unseat Flake, the reality of the situation is that nobody in his party is willing to stand up for him lest they, too, find themselves the target of Trump's nationwide collection of deranged loonies. So he's on his own.
Even after backing Trump "95 percent" of the time.