Bill Kristol took a backhand to President Donald Trump, suggesting that former Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum should primary him and calling the senator “a much better version of President Trump.”
Kristol made the comments during a panel discussion on Sunday morning’s “State of the Union” on CNN with guest host Brianna Keilar. (RELATED: Trump Takes A Victory Slap On Bill Kristol, The Weekly Standard)
WATCH:
Responding to the president’s claims that he would like to see Russia return to the G7 Summit — making it once again the G8 — members of the panel argued that the Kremlin had done little to reassure other nations that it would act in good faith.
Santorum, who has defended the president on occasion, was not a fan of his comments with regard to including Russia.
“It’s a bad call on the president’s part. Russia does not deserve to be in the G8,” Santorum explained. “I like a lot of things the president is doing. I don’t like the way he deals with some of these dictators whether it’s North Korea or Russia. I’m disappointed he’s making the call. I hope it’s revisited and he’s not included.”
“Rick should challenge President Trump,” Kristol suggested then. “He almost won in 2012. He’s a much better version of President Trump.”
Santorum laughed it off, adding, “Bill’s trying to destroy my credibility right here.”