An old rivalry has surfaced: between Mr Trimble's deputy, John Taylor, and his security spokesman, Ken Maginnis.
Shane Horgan, John Hayes, Jamie Heaslip, Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney and Geordan Murphy are also out of the Italy game.
One by one, the main players in the peace process have exited the main political stage, from SDLP leader John Hume to Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble to US President Bill Clinton to prime ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern.
Ulster Unionist deputy leader John Taylor said he wanted to speak to Mr Trimble before he responded to the remarks.
The attack has also been condemned by Northern Ireland Secretary of State John Reid and the First and Deputy First Ministers David Trimble and Seamus Mallon.
The Upper Bann seat of First Minister David Trimble and the Strangford constituency of UUP deputy leader John Taylor are being targeted by the party, he said.
In October 1998, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume, an award which was seen as recognition for Mr Trimble's ability to hold his nerve and back the agreement, despite the doubts of many unionists.
Mr Trimble's most dangerous internal opponent is his own deputy, John Taylor, the man whose vote of no confidence destroyed a previous power-sharing agreement and unseated a previous Ulster Unionist leader, Brian Faulkner, in 1974.
Meanwhile, Mr Trimble was due to meet the head of the decommissioning body, General John de Chastelain in Belfast later on Tuesday when it is thought he will discuss the IRA response to the arms impasse.
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said confusion needed to be cleared up surrounding what was said to General John de Chastelaine's decommissioning body.
Government sources say there will be no hasty reaction to Mr Trimble's surprise move, not least because the announcement coincided with the Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid's wedding.
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