KEY POINTS

  • Republican presidential candidate Joe Walsh says Trump "doesn't read, think or understand"
  • Walsh slams Trump's decision to announce his next moves on Iran via Twitter
  • He also says Trump puts his personal interests ahead of the United States

Former Tea Party congressman from Illinois Joe Walsh is a rare Republican that never shies from attacking Trump and his misdeeds. He's also one of only three Republicans (along with former governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld and former governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina) with the guts to challenge Trump as the GOP presidential nominee in 2020. Walsh's gutsiness goes well with his 2020 presidential campaign slogan, "Be Brave."

The candidate shows his feistiness in an interview with CNN on Sunday. During the interview, Walsh blasted Trump for deciding to use Twitter to notify Congress of possible further actions taken against Iran. On Sunday, Trump tweeted:

“These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!”

Asked about this, Walsh unleashed on Trump, calling him unfit and a person that "doesn't think."

"He's unfit," said Walsh of Trump. "Every American ... really needs to be really scared right now. And the reason they ought to be really scared right now is because of who is in the White House.

"We have a guy in the White House who doesn't read. He doesn't think. He doesn't understand. He doesn't listen, He doesn't take advice. He puts his own interests ahead of the nation's interest and he doesn't tell the truth."

Walsh added that Americans are facing a "scary time" because of the recklessness and impulsiveness " of the President. He slammed the platform choice of Trump in announcing his plans of committing "war crimes in Iran."

"Bombing, blowing up cultural sites. Yeah, that's the president of the United States on a Saturday night tweeting about committing war crimes. We all ought to wake-up," he noted.

"I wish Republicans and Democrats could come together to provide a check to somebody who is in the White House who is absolutely incompetent and unfit."

This is not the first time Walsh called Trump "unfit" for office. After officially announcing his challenge to Trump on August 25, 2019, he also announced his presidential candidacy in an interview on ABC's "This Week."

"I'm running against Trump because he's morally unfit. Period," said Walsh. "It's about Trump. It's not about the issues. It's about Trump."

Walsh referred to the 2020 election as a "referendum" on Trump. Walsh later told MSNBC that should he be unsuccessful against Trump, he might vote for the Democratic nominee for president.

"I will never vote for Donald Trump again," he said emphatically.

Walsh will need all the bravery he can muster since Trump's approval rating among Republicans has remained above 80 percent since December 2017.

President Donald Trump is threatening war against Iran and sanctions against Iraq
President Donald Trump is threatening war against Iran and sanctions against Iraq AFP / JIM WATSON