Irked by reports his support has stalled in Iowa, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump went after an array of news organizations during a campaign event Saturday.
In an 80-minute plus, free-association speech in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Saturday, Trump disputed a New York Times report detailing shortcomings in his Iowa turnout operation. He repeatedly disparaged the paper and said he might deny Times’ reporters credentials to cover him.
Trump called the Washington Post “dishonest.” He described the Des Moines Register, which found in its respected poll that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, leads Trump in the state, “a stupid newspaper that frankly is going out of business.”
Trump complained that Time Magazine “didn’t pick me as their person of the year, and they should have.”
He said journalists, generally, “are terrible people.”
Trump had nicer words for news and polling organizations that have reported on him positively. He praised polls by CNN and Fox News showing him in strong position in Iowa.
The real estate developer described Public Policy Polling, which conducts automated surveys that Republicans routinely rip as left-leaning and many pollsters consider unreliable, as “very good, very respected.”
Trump called influential aggregator Matt Drudge “a great guy who’s got a great company” who is “really respected.”
Trump touted kind words from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, and continued to celebrate support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite pushback from a long list of aghast Republican critics of Putin, including 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
“He feels good about me,” Trump said of Putin. “I feel frankly good about him.”
Opponents who point out Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and authoritarian repression of dissent, including alleged murders of journalists, “are jealous as hell,” Trump said.
“Russia’s got plenty of problems, “Trump said. “But I’ll tell you what, if Putin likes me and he thinks I’m a good, smart person, that’s a good thing. Not a bad thing.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Trump ripped Hillary Clinton for what he called her lack of loyalty to Sen. Bernie Sanders, her opponent who downplayed the significance of her use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State.
“She’s like a snake with no energy,” Trump said.
Touting his many successes, accurate predictions and high poll numbers, Trump said the only negative pollsters find is that many surveyed say he is “not a nice person.”
“But who cares?” Trump said. “Who cares?”
Trump took the unusual step of bringing his son and grandchildren onstage to address the audience.
Taking a page from their grandfather’s war on political correctness and the secular phrase “Happy Holidays,” both grandchildren offered the audience Christmas greetings.
“Merry Christmas everyone,” said Trump’s grandson Donald III, who he called “Donnie.”
“Thank you for supporting my grandpa and thank you for being here on this beautiful day,” said Trump’s 8-year-old granddaughter Kai. “Have a very great Christmas.”
