WASHINGTON — Well, that’s precious.
Sen. Rand Paul trolled fellow GOP presidential contender Donald Trump, so to speak, on Wednesday by saying that Trump is out for power rather than to fix the government -- and likening his opponent to Lord of the Rings villain Gollum. (Wait, is Gollum a villain?)
"This race should not be about who can grasp the ring," Paul wrote in a Facebook note. "Electing Gollum should not be our objective. This race should be about which candidate will best protect you from an overbearing government."
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"I am the only one on this national stage who really doesn't want power or dominion over you," Paul, a libertarian who advocates for smaller government, continued. "I want to set you free, I want to leave you alone, and I want a government so small you can barely see it."
Posted by Rand Paul on Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Rand Paul going full YOLO https://t.co/1rxd54kw6f— daveweigel (@daveweigel) January 20, 2016
Paul — who is trailing badly in the race for the Republican nomination -- has made attention-grabbing social media burns throughout the race.
On Festivus, a fictional holiday crafted by the TV show Seinfeld, Paul spent the day "airing his grievances" about his presidential rivals -- one of the faux-holiday's main traditions.
to my absentee friend @marcorubio, I didn't put your $170k+ salary in my waste report today. But I could have #Festivus— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 23, 2015
After being relegated to the "undercard" debate hosted by the Fox Business Network last week due to his sagging poll numbers, Paul went on a media blitz, attacking the rules in New York and even hosted his own online town hall.
On with @seanhannity! I promised him I wouldn't let anyone throw snowballs at him because of the #GOPDebate. pic.twitter.com/5L4FDWxquE— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 15, 2016