Trump ignores cries for GOP unity, lashes out at party rivals
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Donald Trump brought his campaign to the doorstep of “The Happiest Place on Earth” Wednesday, holding a rally guarded by scores of police outfitted in riot gear at a convention center across the street from Disneyland.
But one day after violent clashes outside a Trump rally in Albuquerque, N.M., the same kind of chaos did not materialize here. Taking the stage, Trump continued what seems to be a grudge tour against not only his likely Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton but also a litany of Republicans who had previously mocked him and his unlikely campaign for president.
Speaking to a few thousand supporters, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee went after Weekly Standard Publisher Bill Kristol, a frequent critic of Trump’s campaign who once predicted Trump would never be the GOP nominee. Kristol is now looking for a third-party candidate. “He’s got some magazine. I don’t even know what the hell it is,” Trump said, branding Kristol “a loser.”
The former reality television star also went after Mitt Romney, the party’s 2012 nominee and a high-profile Trump critic, calling him a “loser” who could have won his campaign had he allowed Trump to campaign on his behalf. Trump trashed Romney for not being as rich as he is, and mocked the former candidate’s stiff appearance on the campaign trail. “He walks like a penguin onto the stage,” Trump declared. “A penguin!”
Even Republicans who have endorsed him weren’t immune from Trump’s attacks. At one point, Trump mentioned former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, an ex-rival who recently backed his campaign. “He’s on the team now,” Trump told supporters here. But citing Perry, he added that he still couldn’t get past how quickly his former foes tried to make nice after a bitter campaign. “I’ve never seen people able to pivot like politicians,” Trump declared.
But there’s one call he’s still waiting for, Trump admitted. He told the crowd he still hadn’t heard from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, his most bitter primary rival. Though Bush has said he will not back Trump, the real estate mogul predicted Bush would ultimately fold. “He’ll get a burst of energy, and he will do it,” Trump said, reviving his frequent “low energy” attack line against Bush.
SLIDESHOW – Trump protesters and supporters clash in Anaheim >>>
Trump’s comments came as he has repeatedly declared he is working to unite a Republican Party fractured over his candidacy, and just one day after he trashed another prominent Republican — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez — who has so far declined to say whether she will endorse him.
Not unlike at Monday’s rally in Albuquerque, Trump’s remarks here were nearly equally targeted at Clinton (“Crooked, crooked Hillary,” he said at one point) and those in his own party who dared to criticize him.
Musing aloud to his audience, Trump mentioned that a prominent Republican, whom he declined to name, had recently told him to be “nicer.” But Trump admitted he didn’t see the value in doing that. “Being nice,” he said, had not gotten him to where he is today, both in business and as an unlikely political candidate now on the brink of officially capturing the Republican nomination.
But, Trump told his supporters, he would finally “be nice” if he wins the White House. “If and when I win, I am going to be very nice because it’s a question of good management,” Trump promised.
