NASHUA, N.H. — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump didn’t attend the seventh GOP debate Thursday, but that didn’t stop him from offering his analysis.
The billionaire kicked off an early-morning rally Friday with his take on Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s performance in the final debate before the Iowa caucuses.
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“He got pummeled last night,” Trump said. “I’m glad I wasn’t there.”
“They didn’t even mention [Cruz] is from Canada,” he added.
Trump, who leads the GOP field in Iowa, but is closely followed by Cruz, continued to tear into his opponent.
“He got beaten up pretty badly last night. I don’t know what’s going to happen to his poll numbers, but they’re probably not going up.”
After declining to participate in the Fox News debate Thursday, Trump decided to hold a fundraiser for wounded veterans that aired simultaneously. He called the move “risky” during his rally, but said it paid off for him.
“In theory, I probably would have wanted to do the debate. But I took a chance, and whatever the result is — I did the right thing,” he said.
“I did the right thing because I helped veterans,” Trump added.
The New York businessman is No. 1 in the Washington Examiner‘s post-debate power rankings.
