Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says the U.S. is in need of an audacious commander-in-chief — and he’s confident he’s the one for the job.
Trump told a sea of supporters Tuesday at a rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa that the criticism he frequently receives for his harsh rhetoric on the campaign trail is misguided.
“They say Trump’s tone is very harsh — my tone’s harsh … [Jeb] Bush and Hillary [Clinton] said, almost the same day, his tone is extremely nasty,” Trump explained.
“We need a nasty tone,” he said as the crowd erupted in a massive applause.
The outspoken billionaire, who remains second in the Washington Examiner’s presidential power rankings, also touted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent praise of him. Putin said earlier this month that Trump is “a very flamboyant man, very talented… [and] an absolute leader of the presidential race.”
“I like that Putin called me brilliant, I’ll be totally honest,” Trump said Tuesday. “Maybe he’s kidding, I don’t know. But I think it’s great that he called me that.”
