Bobby Jindal on Thursday took a meat axe to the Republican presidential front-runner in a speech delivered at the National Press Club in Washington, attacking Donald Trump as a shallow, unstable narcissist who would hand the election to the Democrats.
Louisiana’s governor, an underdog in the race for the GOP nomination, didn’t pull any punches, and his attacks on Trump, a billionaire New York real estate mogul and reality television star, went beyond the ideological. Jindal called Trump “egomaniacal,” “unserious,” “full of bluster” and lacking the “intellectual curiosity to even learn.” Jindal, who is 13th in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, kept the attacks going after his speech concluded.
“He’s a dangerous man. Any candidate, any individual out there enabling Donald Trump is making a serious mistake,” Jindal said, responding to questions. “We need to stand up to the D.C. establishment; we also need to stand up to this narcissist.”
Jindal, serving in his second term as Louisiana governor, has struggled for traction in the 2016 race. Trump leads the GOP field with 30 percent support, according to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls. Jindal barely registers. Jindal has been making headway in Iowa, host of the first nominating contest of the primary campaign, although Trump leads there as well.
In a conference call Wednesday previewing Jindal’s speech on Trump, his advisors said the Louisianan’s talk would be like any other tried by other Republicans who have taken on the New York businessman and entertainer. And Jindal delivered. Where others challenged Trump on ideology, pointing out his historical support for liberal policies and Democratic politicians, Jindal went further, attacking Trump personally.
“Like all narcissists, Donald Trump is insecure and weak, and afraid of being exposed. And that’s why he is constantly telling us how big and how rich and how great he is, and how insignificant everyone else is. We’ve all met people like Trump, and we know that only a very weak and small person needs to constantly tell us how strong and powerful he is. Donald Trump believes that he is the answer to every question,” Jindal said, according to a transcript of his remarks that differed little from the governor’s live delivery.
“You may have recently seen that after Trump said the Bible is his favorite book, he couldn’t name a single Bible verse or passage that meant something to him,” Jindal also said. “And we all know why, because it’s all just a show, and he hasn’t ever read the Bible. But you know why he hasn’t read the Bible? Because he’s not in it.”
It’s unclear if Jindal’s attack will gain him attention and traction in the race. Others who have taken on Trump, granted less directly than Jindal, have seen their poll numbers decline. Jindal’s team believes the governor can succeed because of the unvarnished, personal nature of the fire he directed at Trump on Thursday.
No word yet on Trump’s response.
Disclosure: The author’s wife works as an adviser to Scott Walker.
