2024 Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd said he "expected" for people to dislike his criticism of former President Donald Trump during a speech he made on Friday, though he also noted that he wasn't expected to receive applause from other audience members.
Hurd, a former Texas Congressman, has been one of the most vocal critics of the former president among his fellow primary candidates. He stated during the recent Lincoln Day Dinner that Trump was only running for president in 2024 "to stay out of prison," eliciting boos from some event-goers.
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“Of course, it was as expected," said Hurd during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. "I knew there were going to be people that didn’t like it, but what I didn’t expect was there were a lot of people that actually clapped, and then there were more people that just sat there politely and probably understand and knew what I was saying was the truth."
Hurd added that the goal of his speech was, "to talk to the people that believe in personal responsibility," and to the people who believe the United States, "has a role in the world."
“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."
The former Congressman is one of two Republicans in the 2024 presidential race who have been the biggest critics of Trump — the other being former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Earlier this month, Christie call Trump "a liar and a coward" over Trump calling his indictment a "badge of honor."
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A Monmouth University poll, released Tuesday, showed a combined 69% of Republican voters think Trump is the strongest nominee to compete with President Joe Biden, with the number being divided between 45% who voted “definitely strongest,” and 24% who chose “probably strongest.”
When pitted head to head with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the same poll, Trump came out on top at 55% support from GOP voters, while DeSantis got 35%.