Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continued to build on his momentum Tuesday, hard on the heels of a groundswell of support for the outspoken billionaire in Alabama last week.
The GOP front-runner took the stage in Dubuque, Iowa, Tuesday evening where he warned a crowd of about 2,500 that the U.S. could face turmoil “if the right person is not elected.”
“We have to incentivize people, we have to give people spirit,” Trump said, shortly after being introduced by conservative author, columnist and Trump supporter Ann Coulter.
Trump stuck to his signature speaking style – unprepared remarks accompanied by theatrical hand gestures — as he bounced around a number of issues including China’s economic woes, crony capitalism, immigration and corporate media.
“They’re not nice people,” the White House hopeful said of media moguls. “They don’t care about me, they don’t care about you. They only care about the ratings.”
In a rare moment of self-deprecation, Trump told the packed room of supporters that he sometimes feels foolish for rejecting million-dollar contributions from Washington lobbyists.
“Last week I turned down $5 million from a lobbyist,” Trump explained. “And for the first time in my life, I feel stupid – guys are offering me millions and I’m turning them down.”
“But you know what? That’s the way it has to be,” he added. “Nobody’s going to buy me.”
At the beginning of his remarks, Trump touted new polls released hours before his speech that show him expanding his lead in New Hampshire and dominating the GOP field in South Carolina.
“The second place [candidates] were so far back that I won’t even talk about it because I want to be nice tonight,” he said.
But the real estate magnate later reminded his supporters of the long road ahead.
“It’s one thing to have ‘The Summer of Trump,’ but it doesn’t mean anything unless we win,” he said. “We have to win both the nomination and beat Hillary [Clinton] – or whoever it is.”
Before addressing concerns about America’s economic and trade relationship with China, Trump took jabs at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. According to the New York business mogul, Rubio “was not supposed to run” and was instead expected to let Bush, his mentor, have the spotlight.
“People thought it was very disrespectful to a person who brought him along,” he said.
Trump added, “If that was me, if I were Bush, and I brought somebody along and all of a sudden the guy said ‘I’m running against you’ and it’s not my turn … I would really go after that guy.”
Immediately after criticizing Rubio, the ex-reality TV host repeated his previous claim that Bush is “low energy” and said the former governor would fail to increase prosperity as president.
“I don’t care if Jeb Bush is nice,” he said. “I want somebody who is going to make great deals and make us rich again, and he can’t do it.”
The leading Republican hopeful concluded his remarks by assuring the boisterous crowd that a Trump presidency would “unify and spiritize the country.”
“I’ve never seen [the U.S.] like this,” he said. “We have to incentivize people. We have to give people spirit.”
As Trump exited the stage to meet with supporters, the 1984 classic “We’re Not Gonna Take It” echoed through the auditorium.
