President Trump shredded former South Carolina Governor and congressman Mark Sanford, who announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Sunday.

"When the former Governor of the Great State of South Carolina, @MarkSanford, was reported missing, only to then say he was away hiking on the Appalachian Trail, then was found in Argentina with his Flaming Dancer friend, it sounded like his political career was over," tweeted Trump.

"but then he ran for Congress and won, only to lose his re-elect after I Tweeted my endorsement, on Election Day, for his opponent. But now take heart, he is back, and running for President of the United States. The Three Stooges, all badly failed candidates, will give it a go!"

...but then he ran for Congress and won, only to lose his re-elect after I Tweeted my endorsement, on Election Day, for his opponent. But now take heart, he is back, and running for President of the United States. The Three Stooges, all badly failed candidates, will give it a go! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019

Sanford made headlines in 2009 after it emerged that he had an extramarital affair with an Argentinian woman, which he and his wife, Jenny Sanford, attempted to cover up by fabricating a story that he was "hiking the Appalachians."

The now-divorced father of four, who announced his run on "Fox News Sunday" with host Chris Wallace, became the third Republican challenge to Trump in 2020. The "Three Stooges" may find it tough sledding however after South Carolina and Nevada canceled their GOP primary contests for 2020, and committed all Republican delegates to Trump.

"We have a storm coming that we are neither talking about nor preparing for given that we, as a country, are more financially vulnerable than we have ever been since our Nation’s start and the Civil War," Sanford wrote, adding "We are on a collision course with financial reality. We need to act now."

Trump’s tweets on Monday morning targeting Sanders came minutes after the candidate concluded an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” during which he defended his decision to take on the president. Sanford declined to say whether he believes Trump is a Republican, pointed to polls he said showed roughly half of party members eager for a challenge to Trump, and claimed a robust primary debate would strengthen the GOP ahead of the general election. -Politico

"This is the equivalent of saying within the Republican Party, to all of those high school football teams across America, ‘Tell you what, guys: We are not going to scrimmage this week. We'll be stronger by not scrimmaging. We're just going to play on Friday night," said Sanford. "And the coach would say, ‘Are you completely out of your mind?’ The American way is premised on competition."