Joe Walsh, a former conservative congressman for Illinois, became the second Republican on Sunday to challenge President Donald Trump for the nomination of the party’s presidency.
“I will run for president,” Walsh announced on the ABC program “This Week.” The former congressman argued his decision to join the electoral contest, assuring that Trump is not fit for the White House.
“I run because he is not fit, someone has to get up and there has to be an alternative,” he said.
He added that know that many Republicans feel like him, but “are afraid” of taking a step forward.
According to Gallup, President Trump has an approval rating of 88% among Republicans.
During the interview, the former congressman said he voted for Trump in the 2016 elections, but says he “lost” it when he sided with Russia over the US intelligence community about Russian interference in the elections.
Walsh admitted that there were many opportunities in which he allowed political differences to become personal and attacked Democratic President Barack Obama.
“I said some ugly things about President Obama that I regret. And it’s difficult, but I think that helped create Trump, and I feel responsible for that,” he said.
Walsh won a position in the House of Representatives for the suburbs of Chicago in 2010, but lost re-election in 2012 to his Democratic opponent Tammy Duckworth. Since then, he became a radio show host in Chicago.
The former congressman for Illinois is not the only one to challenge Trump within his party. Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announced in April that he would run for president.
On other opponents, Walsh said in “This Week” that he could “contribute to a stronger dialogue and that will be good for the country.”
Republican Party President Ronna McDaniel said in a statement in response to the announcement that Trump has “unprecedented support among Republicans” and that “any effort to challenge him in a primary school makes no sense.”
When questioned about Walsh’s criticism of the president and the decision to run, Trump’s spokesman responded with a single phrase: “Whatever.”
