Tea Party favorite Joe Walsh will take on President Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination.
Walsh, 57, plans to challenge Trump by arguing the White House incumbent is “morally unfit” for the office, an uphill battle considering the president’s sustained support from his base.
Walsh supported Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but has since become an outspoken critic. He made the announcement on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
“I’m betting you’re tired of having an unfit con man for a president. A president who sides with foreign dictators over our intelligence community. A president who spews hate virtually every time he opens his mouth. A president who is teaching millions of American children it’s okay to lie and it’s okay to bully,” Walsh states on his campaign website.
“See, Donald Trump doesn’t represent us—he represents the worst of us. He hasn’t delivered on his promises, he thinks he’s above the law, and he’s tweeting us into a recession, as we speak,” he continued. “You know it, I know it, we all know it: We can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump. No way.”
The one-term Illinois congressman-turned-conservative radio host joins former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld in contesting the GOP’s nod ahead of next year’s national party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Walsh’s decision to attack Trump’s character has been criticized given his own history of making incendiary comments. Some of his most pointed barbs have been directed at former President Barack Obama, including questioning his birthplace.
