During an interview on Huntsville, AL radio’s WVNN on Thursday, former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Alabama, slammed former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and said he was to blame in part for the current crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Tuberville argued Ryan failed to act when Republicans had control of the House of Representatives, which has led to President Donald Trump inheriting the problem.

“He inherited this problem because our politicians have just absolutely dropped the ball,” Tuberville said on “The Jeff Poor Show.” “And I’m really disgusted with Paul Ryan because he had a chance to help put this border wall up and stop all this mess. He took the money and ran from Congress. He didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t help Donald Trump in the House get anything passed. Even Donald Trump said he lied to him. He said he was going to get it done. It didn’t work out. So, he’s trying to do the best he can with what he’s got. He doesn’t have enough people to put down on the border. The Democrats won’t give him enough money to help the kids down there.”

“I’ve got people that live down there that have said it’s just absolutely just a joke,” he continued. “But that’s what this whole country has been with the people that we’ve got running it. So, hopefully, we can get something done. You know, you’ve got the far-left Democrats that are just absolutely against helping anybody. They don’t want Donald Trump getting any credit. He doesn’t want the credit. He just wants to get it done. He’s a doer. It’s a slow process, and you know hopefully, he can get things done in his way, and that’s really the only way.”

Tuberville’s remarks about Ryan come as a new book reveals the former Speaker of the House had a low opinion of Trump. Trump has since responded to those remarks in a tweet.

Paul Ryan, the failed V.P. candidate & former Speaker of the House, whose record of achievement was atrocious (except during my first two years as President), ultimately became a long running lame duck failure, leaving his Party in the lurch both as a fundraiser & leader…… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019

According to a recent Cygnal poll, Tuberville leads the field of GOP candidates, which also includes Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL), Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and Alabama State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R). The winner will go on and likely face incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL).

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor