Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday offered possibly the most stinging and unrelenting criticism from any other Republican presidential candidate against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.
"Donald Trump is a narcissist and an egomaniac," Jindal said at the National Press Club in Washington. "That may sound like a serious charge to make, but it is also something that everyone knows to be true, and he knows it too, and he celebrates it. He told us the other day that he likes Kanye West — why? Because Kanye loves Trump."
Jindal said he "liked the idea" of Trump speaking against the political class, but repeated the words "narcissist" and "egomaniac" several more times in the speech.
Jindal, a two-term governor, is lagging near the bottom of most GOP polls, while Trump seems to soar higher with every controversial statement he makes.
And Jindal, who frequently talks about his faith during campaign speeches, mocked Trump for being unable to identify a Bible verse.
"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, and we all know why. Because it’s all just a show, and he hasn’t ever read the Bible," Jindal said. "But you know why he hasn’t read the Bible? Because he’s not in it."
Jindal repeatedly called for the Republican Party to be serious.
"Donald Trump is dangerous, but not in the way you think. Many say he’s dangerous because you wouldn’t want a hot head with his fingers on the nuclear codes, and while that’s true, that’s not the real danger here," Jindal said. "The real danger is that, ironically, Donald Trump could destroy America’s chance to be great again."
He added, "As conservatives, we have a golden opportunity in front of us. The Democrats have terribly screwed things up, and are basically giving us the next election. If we blow this opportunity, we may never get it again, the stakes are incredibly high."
Jindal also hit Trump for not being a small government conservative.
"He does not believe in limited government and he has told us that over and over, from his belief in socialized medicine to his desire for tax increases, he’s told us over and over that he’s got no problem with big top-down style government," Jindal said. "He’s only got one real problem with Washington: that he’s not running it."
"He’s not a liberal, he’s not a moderate, and he’s not a conservative," Jindal said. "He’s not a Republican, Democrat, or independent. He’s not for anything or against anything. Issues and policies and ideals are not important to him. He’s for Donald."
