Joe Walsh to Challenge Trump for 2020 Nomination

As the 2020 Democratic field begins to narrow, the Republican candidates are just lining up.  While several individuals have teased challenging President Trump, two have officially announced their candidacy.

First, former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announced he is running for president.

Now, former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh has announced he is running, and will challenge President Trump in the GOP primary race.

BREAKING: "I'm going to run for president," former Republican Tea Party congressman Joe Walsh announces on @ThisweekABC.

"We've got a guy in the White House who is unfit, completely unfit to be president and it stuns me that nobody stepped up" https://t.co/P6iz1j1VA4 pic.twitter.com/0Sct3l7zEc

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 25, 2019

Walsh told George Stephanopoulos that “everybody believes in the Republican party that [Trump is] unfit” and “there needs to be an alternative.”  He also claimed that Trump is “tweeting us into a a recession” and “he’ll tweet us into a war.”

Walsh himself has a history of making inflammatory tweets.

Stephanopoulos called out Walsh for making outlandish statements of his own, including calling former President Barack Obama a Muslim and an enemy.  Walsh said Trump “made me reflect on some of the things I’ve said in the past,” acknowledging that at times he “went beyond the policies and idea” and “said some ugly things about President Obama that I regret.”

Walsh’s self-reflection is apparently limited: he regrets the ugly things he said about Obama, but that hasn’t stopped him from doing the same thing to Trump.

The Trump campaign had just one word in response to Walsh’s announcement.

“Whatever,” campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said to ABC.

That was my first thought as well.