Donald Trump Tuesday laid into frequent critic Bill Kristol and his calls for a third-party candidate to go up against him in the presidential race, but The Weekly Standard editor was quick to laugh it off.
"Why do you put this guy on television?" Trump asked about Kristol, during an often-contentious
press conference called Tuesday to announce the distribution of some $5.6 million to veterans' groups around the country.
"He's got no credibility. Said I won't run, said if I run I won't do well, if I do well or this or that. He looks like such a fool."
And, said Trump, Kristol came out with a tweet over Memorial Day weekend that sounded like he was going to bring out a candidate.
"I thought they're going to find some indie," said Trump. "Now he comes up with something saying he was almost kidding. These people are losers. He's trying to drive you guys a little bit nuts."
Kristol, not one to stay quiet on Twitter, sent Trump another tweet during the press conference:
But during his press event, Trump said if Kristol and other people against him manage to put forward a candidate, he doesn't think "anybody with a reputation would do it because they would look like fools."
An independent candidate, said Trump, will result in a loss "for the Republicans" and that would mean that a Democratic president would name the next Supreme Court justices.
"You will have a group of people put on the Supreme Court where this country will never, ever recover. It will never be the same."
Trump also denied that he called some Republicans and conservatives "losers," but he did say Kristol is one.
"He has called every single person, take a look. He's going to lose this state. I win in a landslide," said Trump. "I didn't say everybody. I said many, but I didn't say everybody. Bill Kristol is a loser.
"His magazine is failing as you know. I don't think it even survives area he's getting free publicity, but Bill Kristol, I've been watching this for two years. Trump is going to run and then I going to race, we going to New Hampshire. I win in a landslide. Every one place I went I wasn't going to win but I win in a landslide. You think he doesn't like me?"
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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