Bobby Jindal knocks other presidential candidates for "extreme" comments
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal criticized the wide field of presidential candidates for their willingness to say "extreme things, outlandish things" to garner publicity ahead of the primary elections.
"Right now you've got a lot of candidates, they're willing to say extreme things, outlandish things to get on TV, to get in the debates," Jindal said. "We're not doing that. Instead we're offering specific ideas."
Jindal, who is currently trailing in national polls with low single digits, outlined his strategy for focusing on early-voting states like Iowa. The GOP candidate said his campaign was "on the move" in Iowa, where he plans to visit every county.
"There are a lot of candidates running that don't have the bandwidth, don't have the backbone, don't have the experience to get the job done," Jindal said. "I do."
The Louisiana Republican took specific knocks at GOP establishment favorite Jeb Bush, slamming the former Florida governor for his immigration policies.
"Jeb just came out this week, just yesterday and said he is for amnesty for the millions of folks who are here in our country illegally," Jindal said. "I think that is a mistake."
When asked about former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's comments last week that President Obama is marching Israelis "to the door of the oven" with the Iran nuclear deal, Jindal called the remarks "outlandish."
"I don't make it a practice to compare anything to the Holocaust. I think that was a horrific evil," Jindal said. But he also cautioned against losing sight of the larger concerns: "I think the bigger issue is we must not sign a bad deal that could start a nuclear arms race."
Despite his criticism of the other White House contenders, the second-term governor warned against calls to trim the presidential field.
"Anytime that donors in New York or the smart people in D.C. try to clear the field or pick a candidate, it never works," Jindal said. "I trust the American people. I think that at the end of the day, they're going to vote for somebody who is an authentic outsider."