Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told the Washington Examiner Friday that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s exit speech sounded like it was crafted by Republican leadership.
The White House hopeful, whose presidential campaign has put-putted along since his late entry into the crowded GOP field, reiterated claims the Republican Party elites are lobbying for a showdown between front-runner Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
“I certainly think you see some of the establishment, the RNC [Republican National Committee], the Party leaders, the pundits — they are all pushing in that direction,” Jindal told the Examiner. “I know they’d love to clear the field to make it Jeb Bush versus Donald Trump. But that’s not going to happen and it’s not going to work.”
Just look at Walker’s withdrawal from the 2016 presidential race, says Jindal.
In his exit speech Monday, the Wisconsin governor called on his opponents to drop out and unify behind one candidate capable of defeating Trump.
“It sounded to me like the speech was written by the RNC,” Jindal said.
“This is the same establishment that a couple of months ago told us that Scott Walker was dominant in Iowa. Now look where we are today,” he added.
Jindal continued, “You see all this hand-wringing from the RNC and the Republican establishment –’Oh, we’ve got too many candidates. We’ve got to clear the field.’ It’s nonsense, and I think it’s a mistake to say that our nominee will be selected in D.C.”
Not only does he believe Republican leaders are trying to purge the GOP field of outsider candidates, saying “this is the same establishment that tells us we’ve got too many Christians running for president,” he says they’ve mistakenly pegged him as a quitter.
Jindal registered at less than 1 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday and has reportedly Party insiders betting on when he’ll drop out. But the devout Catholic and son of immigrant parents says his “debt-free” campaign and ground operation in Iowa are enough to win him the early primary state – and he’s confident they will.
“I don’t have a famous last name. I don’t have a reality TV show, and my daddy wasn’t president,” he said. “But I do have what it takes to get our country back on the right path.”
“The reality is the establishment doesn’t get to pick the nominee, the voters do,” Jindal said, followed by an ambitious assertion. “We’re going to win Iowa and we’re going to win this nomination.”
The two-term governor spoke with conviction throughout the interview and appeared unperturbed when asked about his slump in the polls. Despite being relegated to both “jayvee” Republican debates, Jindal said Friday that he’ll continue to plow forward and pursue what he believes is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apply conservative principles.”
“As long as I’ve got breath, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to save our country,” he said.
