Rand Paul continued his line of attack against Donald Trump Wednesday, calling the famed businessman a “fake conservative” who doesn’t have any principles or “sincere ideology.”
Appearing on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” Paul followed up his attacks on Trump from the first GOP debate last week, laying into him for his connections with the Clintons, supporting bailouts in 2008 and being a no-show when the Tea Party movement began in earnest.
“I started in public life out of this Tea Party movement, and we were upset really – primarily with Republicans who we thought were fake conservatives. Republicans who said they were going to be for less government, less debt, less programs, less adding to the central government. Then they got in power and did the opposite,” Paul started.
“So when the bank bailout was supported by many Republicans, including our nominee at the time, it horrified us,” Paul explained. “We thought, you know, there’s no reason for the middle class to be taxed for a bank bailout. But, you know, Donald Trump was right there with them supporting the bank bailout, and he was supporting Obamacare when all of the Tea Party movement began.”
“So I lump him right in there with all the other fake conservatives,” Paul said. “Now he’s on the other side of the issue. But really a grown man who’s changed his opinion just to run for office, you wonder is he sincere or really is he a fake conservative.”
While Paul tried to keep the discussion centered on Trump, Ingraham pushed the Kentucky senator about Jeb Bush, asking him whether the former Florida governor is also a “fake conservative.”
“No, I just don’t think he’s a conservative,” Paul said. “But I don’t think he’s trying to present himself as one. I think he is sincerely part of the establishment. He is sincerely a moderate, and we’ll see how that goes.”
“I guess what troubles me is that the 90 percent of us that are unhappy with government, unhappy with establishment, unhappy with the Republican establishment think some how Trump could be the answer,” Paul said. “[T]his is a guy who gives money to the Clintons. Buys and sells politicians, and really – he’ll tell you frankly, ‘Yeah I give them money because they’ll do whatever the hell I tell them to do.'”
“That’s what’s wrong with Washington is people are being bought and sold,” Paul said. “But the people buying are just as equally culpable as those who are selling access.”
Paul continued to talk about the two GOP front-runners, telling the host that he doesn’t see Bush as a threat because people “know” he’s a “moderate” and will not nominate another one in 2016. However, Paul, argued that he’s more worried with Trump’s candidacy because he believes voters are being “hoodwinked” by the real estate tycoon.
“Right now, I don’t think Jeb Bush is a threat because I think Jeb Bush is a moderate, and I think people know it,” Paul responded. “I don’t think people mistake who Jeb Bush is. So I think he will be fair game and is fair game. I think that most people don’t actually believe that the Bushes are conservative. … They know he’s an establishment moderate.”
“I think the reason … more of my ire is directed at Trump at this point is because an enormous amount of people are being hoodwinked and made to believe that he might represent some Tea Party conservative values. And in reality, he’s been on the other side of every major issue that we’ve fought for over the years,” Paul said, pointing to Trump’s past support of a single-payer healthcare system and the bank bailouts.
“People have to question the sincerity of a guy whose entire adult life, he’s been complimenting the Democrats and giving money to the Clintons – saying the Democrats are better at running the economy,” Paul said. “… It alarms me that because he is able to stand up and be vulgar and call people stupid or fat, people think it’s funny, so we’re back in junior high with a guy who is good an insulting people that really is not a conservative and, I think, truly is a fake conservative.”
“The only thing sincere about him is that he’s for himself, but I don’t think he has a sincere ideology of any kind,” Paul continued.
While Paul continues to hit Trump, his attacks have yet to leave much of a mark. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Paul sits in eighth amongst GOP voters nationally with four percent. Meanwhile, Paul is currently in sixth in New Hampshire with nearly 6 percent support, and ninth in Iowa with 3 percent.
“There’s not much difference between Clinton, Bush and Trump. … Who did Donald Trump call first and who did Jeb Bush call first … to tell them they were running for office?” Paul asked. “I asked my staff to look at this, because I remembered Jeb Bush called the Clintons first, and then they told me that Donald Trump did too and it’s like – here’s this circle of people who call each other and the grassroots ought to be horrified that we’ve got Republicans, Jeb Bush and Donald Trump calling Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton saying, ‘Hey buddy! I’m running for office. We’re going to have a good ole time in this election,’ and it’s like – really?”
“What is the difference between all of these people?” Paul exclaimed.
