Joe Lockhart, the former White House press secretary in the Clinton administration, said Tuesday that Rep. Beto O'Rourke Beto O'RourkeJimmy Carter says his son smoked pot with Willie Nelson on White House roof O'Rourke endorses Kennedy for Senate: 'A champion for the values we're most proud of' 2020 Democrats do convention Zoom call MORE (D-Texas) "wandered into the wilderness" after losing his Senate campaign last year.

Lockhart called O'Rourke's moves since losing that race to Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzTrump argues full Supreme Court needed to settle potential election disputes Press: Notorious RBG vs Notorious GOP The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Washington on edge amid SCOTUS vacancy MORE (R-Texas) "weird" but added that he expects O'Rourke to run for president.

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"Beto O'Rourke ran a great campaign in Texas that he lost and then wandered into the wilderness. It was weird. There were people who were wondering what he was up to," Lockhart said on CNN's "New Day."

"[Beto] sort of wandered into the wilderness, it was a little weird," says @joelockhart, fmr. White House Press Secretary, about Beto O'Rourke's road trip after losing to Ted Cruz. "You generally don't do soul-searching if you're a candidate on Instagram." https://t.co/llj2hqgxBT pic.twitter.com/9WKjlFvN1r — New Day (@NewDay) February 12, 2019

Lockhart was apparently referencing O'Rourke's blogging during his road trip across the country last month, writing in one post that he was "in and out of a funk."

But Lockhart also said that O'Rourke's rally on Monday in El Paso, which was held not far from one President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE was holding the same night, was a success.

O'Rourke said at the rally that El Paso is a safe place "not because of walls but in spite of walls." Trump has demanded that a wall be built along the southern border.

Lockhart predicted that O'Rourke will enter the 2020 presidential race by the end of February.

"Last night offered a unique opportunity for him to stand side by side with the president, offer a different vision, speak in front of a big crowd. He was talking last night like someone who is about to get in the race," Lockhart said on "New Day."

"I think it would have been weird if a mile from the president he announced," he continued. "He should do it on his own terms. He was given an opportunity to sort of get back in this. He took it. He succeeded. I think he'll be in the race by the end of the month."