ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Conservative author and commentator Brad Thor took to Twitter Saturday to announce he would challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020.

The New York Times bestselling author of the popular Scot Harvath series of spy thrillers was a vociferous critic of Trump’s during the 2016 primaries and has continued speaking out against the president’s leadership style.

In an exclusive statement to the Washington Times Thor said:

“Our nation was established to protect the greatest minority in the history of the word – the individual. As such, our government’s every move should be directed toward securing those rights. A free people should zealously guard their freedom and never take it for granted. A leader who neither understands, nor cares about the mechanisms of government and the protections of liberty, is unquestionably unfit to serve and should be voted out of office for the people’s own good.”

Thor says he has been in “unofficial discussions since last year with a range of influential players” in the conservative movement. Though he tells the Washington Times he has “no official backing,” he says he has “lots of soft support.”

“They’re tired of waiting for Sasse” or some other elected Republican to step up and challenge Trump.