Trump predicts Paul will soon exit race

Donald Trump says he’ll soon force Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) from the 2016 GOP presidential race.

“Prediction: Rand Paul has been driven out of the race by my statements about him – he will announce soon,” the real estate mogul tweeted Tuesday morning.

“I hope that when Rand Paul gets out of the race – he is at 1 percent – his supporters come over to me,” the front-runner added.  “I will do a much better job for them.”

{mosads}Trump’s tweet alluded to Paul’s struggle to boost his poll numbers. The Kentucky lawmaker is 10th out of 15 GOP candidates, with 2.4 percent support, in the latest RealClearPolitics average of national polls.

Paul insisted on Monday that his campaign was not done.

“By no means am I finished,” he told host Alisyn Camerota on CNN’s “New Day.” 

“I’m just getting started. I think we’ll be around just as long as Trump, if not longer,” he added.

Paul has repeatedly clashed with Trump during the race, characterizing him as a false conservative who will eventually betray his supporters.

“How can anyone in my party think this clown is fit to be president?” Paul asked Camerota Monday. “How did we get the race for the most important office in the free world to sink to such low depths?”

Trump has countered that Paul’s White House run is “hopeless” and that the senator does not deserve attention from voters.

Reports emerged Monday that Paul is shifting his attention in the coming weeks to raising funds for his Senate reelection bid.

Two GOP presidential contenders have already called it quits this month.