Wednesday on CNN’s “Wolf,” Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said if his rival Donald Trump was to become the GOP nominee for president, the Republican Party would lose as bad as it did in 1964 when the Democratic candidate President Lyndon B. Johnson won 61 percent of the popular vote against the Republican candidate, then-Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ).
When asked if he thinks Donald Trump is qualified to be president, Paul said, “I don’t think so. I really think what we are seeing from him is sophomoric sort of these junior high diatribes at other candidates. I think they’re silly. I just don’t see anything serious about what he’s proposing. When he says Mexicans will pay for the wall, and then he says he’s going to be tough and he’s so smart because he’s so rich, I don’t think they always equate with each other. I think if he wants to prove to us that he’s so smart, it’s not because he’s rich. What are the proposals he has?”
Wolf Blitzer went on to ask if Trump was the Republican nominee, “Could you see yourself voting for him?”
Paul answered, “There are certain candidates I would be less enthusiastic to support. I do believe even if I were to win with 60 percent of the vote, I need the other 40 percent who disagree with me. In the Republican debate the winner may have 20 percent, 30 percent, maybe going through the primaries. I won’t be excited about Donald Trump. I think he would cause our party to be the biggest loss since 1964. So I’ll be very very disappointed. I won’t be very enthusiastic, but I’ve said he would support the nominee.”
Blitzer pushed, “You would actually not just support but vote for Donald Trump, go into the voting booth and push the lever, that he should be the next president.”
Paul replied, “The polling booth is still secret. I’ve said I’ll support the nominee and I will. I’m going to do everything possible within my power, in the next six months, to make sure Donald Trump is not the nominee because I think it would be a disaster for our country ”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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