GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE poked at rival Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulSecond GOP senator to quarantine after exposure to coronavirus GOP senator to quarantine after coronavirus exposure The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by National Industries for the Blind - Trump seeks to flip 'Rage' narrative; Dems block COVID-19 bill MORE (R-Ky.) on Twitter on Saturday, calling him a “lightweight” who shouldn’t be allowed in Wednesday’s CNN presidential debate.

Trump needled Paul in a series of tweets:

Lightweight Senator @RandPaul should focus on trying to get elected in Kentucky--- a great state which is embarrassed by him. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2015

I truly understood the appeal of Ron Paul, but his son, @RandPaul, didn't get the right gene. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2015

Too many people on stage for debate. @RandPaul at 11th, with 2% in @RealClearNews, shouldn't be allowed to participate. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2015

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump’s shots came hours after Paul joked about the GOP frontrunner in an interview with Politico.

“I think I was a little too easy on Donald Trump last time,” Paul said in the interview, referencing a heated exchange the two had in an August Fox News presidential debate. “That’s given in jest," he added.

Later in the interview, Paul unfavorably compared Trump to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who suspended his presidential bid Friday.

“You have a long-term governor from a large conservative state leaving the field, and meanwhile, the media continues to reinforce a celebrity that really doesn’t have qualifications for office and in fact would alarm me if he were in charge of our nuclear weapons,” Paul said.

“So, really, I think it’s a serious versus the unserious. And there is a danger that if we continue to laud so much attention on basically someone whose level of discourse is that of junior high, I think there’s a problem, there’s a great risk for the country.”