Will Hurd Hits Back After Getting Booed in Iowa For Slamming Trump: They Know ‘This Baggage is Hurting Him’

Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd stood by his decision to blast Donald Trump over his legal troubles despite the booing he received from the Iowa Republican Party at the 2023 Lincoln Dinner.

The former congressman joined Chuck Todd on Meet The Press for an interview that began with the jeering Hurd got when he proclaimed that Trump is running for president “to stay out of prison.” Hurd explained that he expected the blowback, but he insisted “there were a lot of people that actually clapped and then more, there were more people that just sat there politely and probably understand and knew what I was saying was the truth.”

My goal was not to go in there and talk to the people that have been frustrated when they are told that the person that they respect has been lying to them. I was there to talk to the people that believe in personal responsibility, that believe character matters, that believe service matters, that believes that the United States has a role in the world and it’s important to us back here at home. Those were the people that I was going to speak to, and also to prove to the rest of the field that we’re running for an election, and if you’re afraid to talk about Donald Trump or talk about his baggage, then you’re not ready to be President of the United States.

Despite Trump’s ongoing polling lead, Hurd predicted the 2024 race will tighten over time, and he warned that “if the Republican Party puts Donald Trump forward as our nominee, we will give four more years to Joe Biden on purpose.” He also mocked Trump’s constant relitigation of past elections, and he brought up the recent reporting on how much campaign funding Trump has siphoned off to help him cover his legal costs.

“Three out of four dollars that Donald Trump raises is going to pay for his legal fees,” Hurd said. “Even folks, Republicans that voted for Donald Trump twice recognize that this baggage is hurting him — its going to hurt him in November.”

Hurd has managed to get under Trump’s skin, seeing as the former president lashed out at him on one of his Truth Social tirades after being receiving three more charges connected to the Mar-a-Lago documents scandal.

Watch above via NBC.