Trump says his comments drove Rand Paul to drop out of 2016 race

WASHINGTON — Just a day after Rand Paul said he'd outlast "clown" Donald Trump, the real estate mogul is firing back, using his favorite way to attack his fellow GOP candidates: Twitter.

Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, "Prediction: Rand Paul has been driven out of the race by my statements about him-- he will announce soon. 1%!"

A few minutes later, he tweeted again, "I hope when Rand Paul gets out of the race---he is at 1%--his supporters come over to me. I will do a much better job for them."

Paul had not responded to the attacks as of early Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday, Paul called Trump a "clown" on CNN's New Day.

"I'll tell you this, I think we'll be around just as long as Trump, or longer," Paul told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.

In the interview, Paul said Trump's attacks are similar to the CNN debate, when he hit the Kentucky senator.

"I'm thinking, how did we get the race for the most important office in the free world to sink to such depths, and how could anyone in my party think that this clown is fit to be president?" Paul said.

Trump continues to the be front-runner in polls for the GOP nomination, but his popularity has dropped since the CNN debate. In the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Paul polled at 2% favorable in the general electorate. In the survey, Trump is seen favorably by 25% of the general electorate.

Paul's wife, Kelley, took questions from reporters Tuesday morning where she addressed his low poll numbers.

"We think this race is still very fluid and early," she said in South Carolina, adding that Paul may not make another run in four years if he doesn't succeed this time. But she said she "can't really predict that far in advance."