US presidential candidate Donald Trump has denounced his Republican rival Jeb Bush as “a total embarrassment” to his family.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Trump slammed Jeb Bush’s lackluster presidential campaign which he said has brought shame to his family.
Bush’s brother, George W. Bush, and his father, George H.W. Bush, both were presidents.
“[Jeb Bush] is a sad case,” Trump wrote. “A total embarrassment to both himself and his family, he just announced he will continue to spend on Trump hit ads!”
In another tweet, the Republican frontrunner called Bush a “low energy ‘stiff’ who should focus his special interest money on the many people ahead of him in the polls.”
In a separate tweet, the New York billionaire attacked leading Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for opposing his plan to prevent Muslims entering the US.
“Hillary Clinton said that it is O.K. to ban Muslims from Israel by building a WALL, but not O.K. to do so in U.S.,” he said in a tweet. “We must be vigilant!”
Democrat frontrunner Clinton is competing against only one Democrat and one independent senator, Bernie Sanders, for the Democratic Party's nomination. Only Sanders is considered at all competitive in the early primaries, even as he operates with far less money than the former secretary of state.
About a dozen Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination for president. Trump continues to lead the crowded GOP field despite making controversial remarks against Mexican immigrants, women and Muslims.
But Jeb Bush, once thought to be the likely Republican nominee for president, has failed to gain any momentum in early GOP primaries.