Very personal

Trump’s attacks on Clinton get very, very personal

He calls her bathroom break during the Democratic debate 'disgusting' — and worse.

By Ben Schreckinger

Donald Trump is taking his criticism of Hillary Clinton into new territory.

The Republican front-runner mocked his Democratic counterpart for a “disgusting” bathroom trip she made during Saturday night’s debate, and said Barack Obama “schlonged” her in the 2008 primaries at a raucous rally here on Monday night.

For Trump — who comments often on Clinton’s penchant for pantsuits, has insinuated she is in a lesbian relationship with close aide Huma Abedin and insists she doesn’t have “the strength or the stamina” to be president — Monday’s remarks take his focus on her personal life to a new level of intimacy.

Remarking on Clinton’s late return to the podium after using the bathroom during a commercial break at this weekend’s Democratic debate, Trump said, “I know where she went. It’s disgusting. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s disgusting.”

Trump also took a shot at Clinton for losing the Democratic nomination to Obama in 2008. “She was favored to win and she got schlonged,” he said. “She lost. I mean, she lost.”

At one point, Trump contemplated the possibility that Clinton would become the next president and slapped his palms on his head in mock exasperation. “Is that a president?” he said. “You saw her the other day, in all fairness.”

Flanked by an American flag and two giant Christmas wreaths, Trump also told his Rust Belt audience of about 7,000 at the Deltaplex Arena that, unlike Clinton or Jeb Bush, he would prevent Ford Motor Co. from moving factories to other countries.

“I’m a free trader, but we can’t be stupid traders,” said Trump, before promising that he would levy a 35 percent tariff on “every car, truck and part” if Ford built a factory in Mexico instead of the U.S. during his administration.

“I’ll say 35 percent and if you wait another day, it’s going to 40,” he said he would tell Ford’s CEO as a negotiating tactic.

Trump’s speech was interrupted by more than a dozen scattered outbursts from protesters, eliciting a range of responses from the businessman.

“I’ll tell you they’re nice guys, very noncombative,” he remarked of one group of protesters, before questioning the judgment of young people who break out in protests in front of “9,000 maniacs who want to kill them.”

He also opined that if someone sat down young protesters and explained Trump’s message to them, he believed they would respond positively. During other outbursts, Trump was less conciliatory.

“You’re so brave,” a sarcastic Trump told one long-haired young man as security removed him from the arena. “He’s holding up his hands like he’s Mike Tyson. He never threw a punch — so brave.”

“You are a loser,” Trump told another protester. “You really are a loser.”

It wasn’t just Clinton and left-leaning protesters who earned Trump’s scorn, his fellow Republicans did, as well.

He opened the rally by remarking on Lindsey Graham’s suspension of his struggling presidential campaign earlier that day. “He was nasty to me,” Trump said. “Everybody who goes against me is like X, X,” he added, indicating candidates that have dropped out.

Trump also took aim at the budget passed last week by the Republican-controlled Congress. “You saw that piece of garbage omnibus,” he said. “I’m more angry with the Republicans than I am with the Democrats … What they just passed is a disgrace.”

After criticizing Time Magazine’s choice of Angela Merkel as Person of the Year rather than him, Trump added, “I like her. I better like her. I may have to deal with her. Hey, Putin likes me. I want her to like me.”

Trump has come under fire in recent days for calling Vladimir Putin’s praise of him a “great honor.”

He betrayed no sense of regret, saying the United States should welcome Russia as an ally. “It would be so great if we could get Russia on our side and other countries on our side, and knock the hell out of ISIS,” he said to an uproarious ovation.

He also continued to defend the Russian president against accusations that he’s ordered the murders of Russian journalists, saying there is no proof of Putin’s responsibility for the killings. Trump said reporters would not have to fear such a fate if he were president.

“I would never kill them,” he said. “But I do hate them.”

The crowd roared.