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"I'm running because he's unfit; somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative," Walsh said. "The country is sick of this guy's tantrum -- he's a child."

At the same time, Walsh recognized that he himself is guilty of the same behavior as the president, and even played a part in the division in Washington that led to Trump's election.

"I helped create Trump," the Tea Party favorite told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview that aired Sunday morning. "I feel responsible for that."

Walsh claimed that Trump was "tweeting us into a recession" and warned that "he'll tweet us into war."

Stephanopoulos called out Walsh for making outlandish statements of his own, including calling former President Barack Obama a Muslim and an enemy. Walsh said Trump "made me reflect on some of the things I've said in the past," acknowledging that at times he "went beyond the policies and idea" and "said some ugly things about President Obama that I regret."

When asked if he truly believes what he said about Obama, Walsh responded, "God no, and I have apologized for that."

During the same interview, however, Walsh made a series of personal attacks against President Trump.

"He's nuts, he's erratic, he's cruel, he stokes bigotry," Walsh said. He accused Trump of not caring about America, saying, "the only thing he cares about is Trump."

Walsh also cited Trump's 2016 campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border and to have Mexico pay for it, which has not happened.

"He’s incompetent. He has no freakin’ clue what he’s doing," Walsh said.

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Walsh, who served one term in Congress, acknowledged that he has very little chance of defeating the president in the primaries, but said he wants to promote a different direction for the Republican Party. Earlier in August, Walsh published a New York Times op-ed about the need for Trump to face a primary challenge. He said the positive response to the piece inspired his decision to run.

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld – a longshot primary challenger against President Trump for the Republican nomination – said Sunday that he is “thrilled” that other Republicans are joining the primary race.

Weld’s comments came shortly after former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois announced he was running a campaign against Trump and amid rumors that former Rep. Mark Sanford is mulling the idea of jumping into the fray.

"I'm thrilled about Joe Walsh and Mark Sanford getting in, I think that's terrific," Weld said on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” adding that more candidates challenging Trump in the primary would lead to a "more robust conversation" about the issues facing the country.

“We need to assemble rational people,” Weld said. “Sure a crazed president makes the stock market go down, but that doesn't mean we have to like it," Weld said.

Weld, who launched his own challenge to Trump in April, also said that more Republicans should mount a challenge to Trump – adding that another term in the Oval Office for Trump would be "four years of unadulterated, unrequited payback."

"Payback for what?” Weld said rhetorically. “It's another example of his extreme, malignant narcissism. He's only happy when other people are losing.”

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Originally posted by wtg:
That was Joe Wilson.

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Let's start here: Joe Walsh isn't beating Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary.

But just because the former one-term congressman from Illinois isn't going to win doesn't mean he can't have an impact on the coming 2020 campaign -- and on the President's state of mind for the next six months or so. And judging from what Walsh told CNN's Erica Hill on Monday, he's got the right plan to do just that.

"We're going to get in the President's face every day," Walsh promised.

That's actually a very sound strategy if your main goal is to ultimately beat Trump -- even if Walsh himself won't be the one doing it. Here's why.

1. Walsh isn't going to raise much money. He doesn't have a national donor base. Trump controls all levers of the Republican political and fundraising apparatus. There's very little chance Walsh will even raise enough money to fund any sustained TV ad campaign -- either nationally or in an early state like Iowa or New Hampshire.

2. Given No. 1, the only way Walsh gets attention is to do lots and lots of cable TV appearances. Which, if Monday is any guide, he will do! At one point, Walsh was on CNN and MSNBC at the same time! (One of the appearances was taped.)

3. Trump's main frame on politics (and life) is cable TV. It's how he gets the bulk of his information, outrage and inspiration.

4. Trump is incapable of letting an attack go unanswered, no matter where it comes from.

Those four factors suggest that, if Walsh makes good on his "get in the President's face every day" pledge, there is a decent chance he could have an influence in the presidential race that extends beyond his chances of actually toppling Trump, which, as I noted above, are pretty damn close to zero.