Former Republican congressman challenges Trump in 2020
Joe Walsh joins the race for the Republican nomination in 2020; GOP financier Dan Palmer weighs in.
Former Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh predicted the GOP would lose big in 2020 if they choose to stick with President Trump as the party's nominee, and said he blames himself for the commander in chief's political rise.
"[Trump]'s unqualified. He's unfit. He's a child. He's reckless. He's erratic. He's a narcissist, " Walsh said Monday on "Morning Joe." "If he's our nominee in 2020, the Republican Party is going to get spanked, because young people don't like Trump. Women don't like Trump and people who live in the suburbs don't like Trump."
Walsh said the Tea Party and the GOP are to blame for Trump's being vaulted into the White House and expressed sudden regret at his past political views because they helped the president attain power.
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"Look, I think I'm partly responsible for Trump and that's kind of a scary thing to say," he said. "I think two things got Trump elected. The Republican Party establishment was out of touch with their voters. And Trump took advantage of that. He touched upon this issue of people in this country illegally. The Republican Party ignored that issue."
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Walsh added, "The other part that got Trump elected was -- I was part of the Tea Party class of 2010... we got ahead of ourselves and we engaged in this politics of personal destruction... Those personal attacks that we got into too much, I think led to the personification of Trump... I feel pretty darn responsible for having him in the White House."
Walsh continued to express personal shame for having voted for Trump and said his apology for his past views should be seen as a positive.
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"Correct me if I'm wrong, this man's never apologized for anything. So here I am in front of you this morning -- yes, raising my hands. I helped put Trump in the White House," he said.
"I'm ashamed of that. I feel terrible about that. I'm going to try to redeem myself about that. But most importantly, the country can't let this guy get... reelected. We're being run right now by a child and that's pretty damn scary."
Walsh and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld have announced they are challenging Trump for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2020.
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