US President Donald Trump has mocked a Palestinian-American lawmaker’s bid for the White House in the 2020 presidential election.
Representative Justin Amash, the first Republican in Congress who supported the impeachment of President Trump and had to leave the party, launched a website announcing the exploratory committee for a Libertarian presidential bid on Tuesday evening.
“No, I think Amash would make a wonderful candidate, especially since he is way behind in his district and has no chance of maintaining his Congressional seat,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.
We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together. I’m excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 29, 2020
The president, who is hoping to get reelected in the November presidential race, compared the Republican-turned-Independent congressman’s bid to that of Green Party candidate Jill Stein in 2016, suggesting that she made Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lose the race to Trump, as Amash is planning to do in 2020.
“He almost always votes for the Do Nothing Dems anyway. I like him even more than Jill Stein!” Trump said.
The 39-year-old member of the US House of Representatives from Michigan had previously indicated that he might run as a Libertarian candidate against Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
“Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people,” the Michigan lawmaker said in a statement. “We’re ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together. I’m excited and honored to be taking these first steps toward serving Americans of every background as president.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden is now the likely 2020 Democratic presidential nominee after his last remaining opponent, Bernie Sanders, quit the race.