WASHINGTON — Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh has announced that he will run for president.
The Associated Press reported that Walsh said he would seek the Republican nomination in 2020. He announced the news on ABC's "This Week' with George Stephanopoulos" Sunday morning. He cited Trump's behavior as a reason for his run.
TRENDING NOW:
"We've got a guy in the White House who is unfit, completely unfit to be president, and it stuns me that nobody stepped up," he said of Trump. "Nobody in the Republican party has stepped up."
"I'm running because he's unfit, somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative, he added. "The country is sick of this guy's tantrum. He's a child."
Tim Murtaugh, the campaign communications director for Trump told ABC News, "Whatever," in response to the news of Walsh's run.
A favorite of the Tea Party, Walsh has a history of racist and other incendiary tweets, including false claims that former President Barack Obama is Muslim and others in which he uses racial and ethnic slurs. He served one term in Congress and is currently a conservative radio show host.
Although he said does not expect to win against Trump, Walsh said he wants to offer an alternative in the Republican party. He previously supported Trump in the 2016 election.
Walsh joins former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld in seeking the Republican nomination.