Donald Trump is taking it easy on Bobby Jindal, despite being called an “egomaniacal madman” by the Louisiana governor just two months before Jindal decided to withdraw from the 2016 presidential race.
“[Jindal] was, you know, a little nasty with me,” Trump told CNN Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the two-term governor announced the suspension of his campaign during an appearance on Fox News.
“But I think ultimately [he] was very nice,” Trump added. “Everyone’s nasty to me because they want to get votes.”
The Republican hopeful, who’s back on top after briefly losing his front-runner status to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, said he thought Jindal “tried very hard.”
After months of polling in the bottom half of the GOP field, Jindal conceded Tuesday “this is not my time.” He is the third Republican candidate to exit the race, following former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, both of whom announced their withdrawal in September.
“We started off with 17 [candidates], and one-by-one they’re disappearing,” Trump said last week during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch as they go out. I love it.”
