Donald Trump admitted Monday he once belonged to the Republican establishment — before he ran for president, that is.
The leading GOP presidential hopeful addressed an audience of undecided voters in New Hampshire Monday at an event hosted by No Labels, an organization that aims to foster bipartisanship in Washington.
“I was very establishment,” Trump told the crowd when it was his turn to speak.
He quickly added, “When I decided to run, I was anti-establishment.
“I watched previously and last time I was thinking about running, [but] I decided not to because I thought it was a race that could have been won, should have been won,” he said, referring to the 2012 election between President Obama and then-Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
“I decided not to let that happen again,” the billionaire added.
Though Trump attributes his rise in the Republican field to his position as a Washington outsider, he has previously come under fire for financially backing establishment candidates.
As previously reported by the Washington Examiner, the ex-reality TV host has contributed between $100,000-$250,000 to the Clinton Foundation, in addition to donating to Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign in 2006.
Still, Trump leads the GOP field nationally and in several early voting states, including New Hampshire. According to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, he currently earns 25.3 percent support among registered Republicans in the Granite State. He also tops the Examiner‘s presidential power rankings.
