Trump gloats

Trump gloats about skipping debate, knocks Cruz

By Daniel Strauss

 A day after the latest Republican primary presidential debate, real estate mogul Donald Trump did two things: he gave himself a pat on the back for skipping the debate and also gloated at the pile-on on Sen. Ted Cruz.

"I think we're going to do really well in Iowa. We're leading in the Iowa polls. And Cruz is in the second place. He got really pummeled last night. I'm glad I wasn't there. And they didn't even mention that he was born in Canada," Trump said at a speech at the Radisson Hotel here in Nashua on Friday morning. "So he got beaten pretty badly last night. And I don't know what's going to happen to him."

At the debate Cruz was a popular focus of attacks from his Republican rivals, who repeatedly used their time to ding the Texas senator and presidential candidate who's been polling either in front or just behind Trump in Iowa.

"Our poll numbers probably went up," Trump said before predicting that Cruz's would probably go down as a result of the debate.

Later in his speech Trump mixed immigration with his attacks on on Cruz, noting that the Texas senator was born in Canada. Trump has repeatedly called into question Cruz's eligibility to be president.

"Ted Cruz is an anchor baby in Canada. But Canada doesn't accept anchor babies," Trump said, adding "he's a citizen of Canada and a senator of Texas." Cruz renounced his dual citizenship in 2014.

Cruz, Trump said, has tried to paint himself as an opponent of big banks but he's actually beholden to banks like Goldman Sachs and Citibank. Cruz took out loans from those banks during his successful run for Senate, failing to report two of them on campaign disclosure forms in 2012.

"He didn't want to put Goldman Sachs, he didn't want to put Citibank down because he wants you to think he's Robin Hood," Trump said.

Trump also knocked former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who made sure to jab at Trump during the debate.

"How do you spend $125 million and you're at the bottom of the pack?" Trump said referring to the large amount the pro-Bush Right to Rise super PAC has spent.

He later pivoted to Democrats and in particular, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has struggled to gain traction in the Democratic primary.

"Why is O'Malley running? What's that about? You know what his claim to fame was, he was the mayor of Baltimore," Trump said "What do you think his chances of getting the nomination are?"

Trump also argued that he is the reason Republican candidates are debating immigration policy. He noted that anti-immigration hardliner Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio recently endorsed him.

"Sheriff Joe endorsed me," Trump said.

Trump devoted a not-insignificant chunk of his speech to panning Joe McQuaid, the publisher of the New Hampshire Union-Leader, whose editorial page endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

"By the way Chris Christie's a friend of mine. He's got no chance. Zero. He's gone down since he got the endorsement," Trump said before predicting repeatedly that the Union-Leader would soon go bankrupt. Then he went back to hitting McQuaid.

"Here's a guy who's truly a dishonest guy," Trump continued. "Why wouldn't you give me the endorsement? I mean, who's better than me?"