Bobby Jindal, whose presidential campaign struggles near the bottom of the polls, launched a harsh personal attack against Donald Trump, calling the GOP frontrunner "a non-serious carnival act," a "narcissist and an egomaniac" with questionable religious convictions.
Jindal, in a speech at the National Press Club Thursday, warned that if Trump wins the Republican nomination it would guarantee Hillary Clinton's election and cost the nation the chance of ever being "great again."
"The Donald Trump Act is great, and the idea of Donald Trump is great -- BUT the reality of Donald Trump is absurd, he's a non-serious carnival act," the Louisiana governor said.
"Donald Trump is shallow," Jindal said. "Has no understanding of policy. He's full of bluster but has no substance. He lacks the intellectual curiosity to even learn."
"It's silly to argue policy with this guy, he's doesn't know anything about it, he has no idea what he is talking about, he makes it all up on the fly."
Watch this attack video Jindal tweeted titled "The Summer of Silliness"
It's time to get serious: https://t.co/AHYLl2NFVa https://t.co/4I1jevxDVW
-- Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) September 10, 2015
Trump "believes in nothing other than himself and is "not for anything or against anything," he said. "Issues and policies and ideals are not important to him. He's for Donald."
"Donald Trump is a narcissist and an egomaniac. 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."
Trump hides behind his wealth because he "is insecure and weak, and afraid of being exposed," Jindal said.
"The real danger is that, ironically, Donald Trump could destroy America's chance to be Great Again," he said. "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."
The attack became even more personal on the subject of religious faith, a key issue among many Republicans. "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," Jindal said. "And we all know why, because it's all just a show, and he hasn't ever read the Bible. But you know why he hasn't read the Bible? Because he's not in it."
"If we nominate him, he will self-destruct in a massive way in a general election," he warned. "He may be Hillary Clinton's only hope."
You can read the full speech and watch it video here.
Trump's response Thursday was to dismiss Jindal as unimportant, saying "I've never met him."
"I only respond to people that register more than 1% in the polls. I never thought he had a chance and I've been proven right."
.@realDonaldTrump reply to @BobbyJindal attack...is....dismissive. #TrumpClassic pic.twitter.com/zGjwEHQ5wi
-- Mark Halperin (@MarkHalperin) September 10, 2015
Jindal quickly tweeted his response to Trump's response: "@realdonaldtrump is having a hard time lately & doesn remember we met. He wrote a check. A fool &his money..."
.@realdonaldtrump is having a hard time lately & doesn't remember we met. He wrote a check. A fool & his money... https://t.co/OyUdFu37DS
-- Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) September 10, 2015
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