A former Republican governor of South Carolina who was caught cheating on his wife has labeled Donald Trump a bully obsessed with not being seen as a loser.
Mark Sanford, 63, admitted he had an affair with an Argentinian journalist in 2009, which led to a divorce from his wife Jenny Sanford.
He considered resigning as governor at the time, but remained in office, saying he wanted to take responsibility for his actions and serve as an example to his four sons.
Sanford has now launched an attack on Trump, saying he doubted the former president had ever considered running for office again.
“If he were to think about what is best for the republic, it would mean having a frontal lobotomy,” he told The New York Times.
Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who was caught cheating on his wife, has labeled Donald Trump a bully obsessed with not being seen as a loser
The 63-year-old admitted he had an affair with Argentinian journalist Maria Belen Chapur (right) in 2009, which led to a divorce from his wife Jenny Sanford.
Sanford has now launched an attack on Trump, saying he doubted the former president had ever considered not running again
Former Gov. Sanford said Trump's commitment to continuing his presidential campaign despite the criminal charges he faces is due to a “preoccupation with not being seen as a loser.”
He added: “From the number of people he has sued over the years, to the number of subcontractors he has defrauded and all his bankruptcies, he has simply bullied his way through life.
“He's playing to an audience of one, and it's not God, it's Donald Trump.”
National headlines broke in 2009 when it emerged that Sanford had had an extramarital affair with Maria Belen Chapur.
He confessed during a tearful press conference, which followed a mysterious disappearance between June 18 and 24.
Sanford had been on a secret trip to Buenos Aires, where he was with his mistress Chapur.
'I have been unfaithful to my wife. “I developed a relationship with what started as a dear friend from Argentina,” he said at the time.
“I'm a basic guy, I'm just going to explain it. It's going to hurt and I'm going to let the chips fall where they may.'
He also apologized to his wife and four children, saying, “To Jenny: Anyone who has observed her over the past twenty years of my life knows how closely she has stood by my side in campaign, after campaign, after campaign.”
Former Gov. Sanford said Trump's commitment to continuing his presidential campaign despite the criminal charges he faces is due to a “preoccupation with not being seen as a loser.”
Jenny Sanford separated from her husband shortly after the love affair was reported in the press, and the couple obtained a divorce in 2010.
Chapur and Sanford had been engaged since August 2012, but he later announced the end of their relationship in a 2,346-word public Facebook post in September 2014.
“What I did was wrong, period. I spent the last five days in Argentina crying.”
Jenny separated from her husband shortly after the love affair was reported in the press, and the couple obtained a divorce in 2010.
Chapur and Sanford had been engaged since August 2012, but he later announced the end of their relationship in a 2,346-word public Facebook post in September 2014.
The Argentinian said Sandford's shock announcement came after the two spent a romantic week together in Paris.
She added that after a tumultuous five-year relationship, she pressed Sanford on the issue of marriage during their “honeymoon”-style vacation.
Chapur claimed she heard in the press that their engagement was off after Sanford's Facebook post.
After spending several years out of the public eye, Sanford, who was once thought to be a contender for the Republican nomination for president in 2012, jumped back into the public spotlight when he reclaimed a congressional seat he once held during the May 2013 special elections. .
Sanford's comments about Trump come as polls show Republicans remain loyal to the former president despite four criminal charges and the very real possibility that he will be convicted before Election Day in November.
Polls consistently show Republicans sticking by Trump despite four criminal charges and the very real possibility that he will be convicted before Election Day in November.
Ron DeSantis admitted Thursday that Donald Trump has been helped, not hindered, by his multiple criminal charges
Supporter holds a sign with the mugshot of Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump, during a Trump rally in Durham, New Hampshire
He is the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis admitted that Trump has been helped, not hindered, by the multiple criminal charges.
“I would say if I could change one thing, I wish Trump had not been indicted on any of these things,” he said.
Asked if it had made Trump stronger, DeSantis replied: “It has both, but it has also displaced so many other things, I think, and it has sucked a lot of oxygen.”
According to a rolling polling average from Real Clear Politics, Trump's lead is 52 points over DeSantis, who is locked in a battle with Nikki Haley for second place in the race.