Real estate mogul hits at Walker in Iowa.
Mogul cites ‘tremendous dissension’
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump launched another attack against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Saturday during a campaign stop at the Iowa State Fair.
Trump, who has overtaken Walker as the front-runner in the crucial state in recent polls, slammed the Republican governor and his record in Wisconsin, saying “there’s tremendous dissension all over the state.”
The real estate mogul said that economic growth under Walker has been “terrible.”
Trump’s comments echoed attacks he has made against Walker in recent weeks.
Until recently, polls showed Walker as the front-runner in Iowa and several other crucial early primary states. But several polls released in the wake of the first GOP debate have shown Walker dropping and Trump surging into a strong lead.
“His growth is terrible in terms of the state,” Trump said. “There’s tremendous dissension all over the state.”
Walker campaign spokeswoman AshLee Strong responded in a statement: “As Governor Walker has said, these are the same failed Democrat talking points that voters rejected by electing him three times in four years. Governor Walker’s record speaks for itself. . . . The governor will continue to focus on the real opponent in this race, Hillary Clinton, as he shares his message of reform and results with the people of America.”
Trump made his comments to reporters Saturday while standing near the spot where his private helicopter had landed outside the fairgrounds. He was flanked by children waiting for the helicopter rides he’d promised them. After a quick ride, Trump climbed into a golf cart and headed into the fair.
Trump is certainly not the first Walker opponent to accuse him of dividing the state.
Critics have repeatedly called the governor one of the most divisive politicians in recent Wisconsin history, especially in the wake of his push to all but end collective bargaining for most of the state’s public workers. Walker unveiled the measure, known as Act 10, soon after taking office in early 2011, a move that drew tens of thousands of protesters to the Capitol and sent the state’s 14 Democratic senators rushing to Illinois in an effort to block the plan.
It also spurred a historic wave of recall elections targeting Walker and others. In 2012, he became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt. That raised his profile and dramatically widened his fundraising base nationwide.
Trump launched his latest attack against Walker after being asked an unrelated question about whether a “President Trump” would be the same as a “Candidate Trump” when it came to deal- ing with foreign leaders.
“I’m doing well. I’m leading in every poll — the little ones, the big ones. So importantly to me, I’m leading in Iowa,” Trump said.
Trump repeated that he waited until he was attacked first before going after Walker.
“Nobody was willing to say it but me. And I didn’t want to say it. I would not have said it, until he attacked me,” Trump said. “Then I said, ‘Thank you very much.’ ”
Trump’s first round of attacks targeting Walker came last month and was apparently triggered by a fundraiser for the Wisconsin governor calling Trump a “DumbDumb.” Trump quickly fired back, saying Wisconsin was “doing terribly,” and calling health care and education in the state “a disaster.”
“I’ve been nice to Scott Walker. You know, he’s a nice guy,” Trump said at the time. “And then today I read this horrible statement from his fundraiser about Trump. I said, ‘Oh, finally I can attack. Finally. Finally.’ ”
Walker has repeatedly refused to criticize fellow GOP presidential hopefuls but has made exceptions for Trump on several occasions in recent weeks.
The first came after Trump attacked Arizona Sen. John McCain, saying he wasn’t a war hero. Walker has since criticized Trump’s comments targeting Megyn Kelly of Fox News.
After a bill-signing event Wednesday at the Wisconsin State Fair, Walker was asked about Trump and said he would “never use the kind of language” used by his rival.
“I may disagree with someone, but I will always be respectful to people and I will never use the kind of language that you’ve heard out of him and some of the candidates out there,” Walker said.
Earlier in the week, Walker called Trump’s campaign a “sideshow.”
“For a lot of us, it’s like watching a car accident instead of focusing on the direction we should be headed,” Walker said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”
“His growth is terrible in terms of the state. There’s tremendous dissension all over the state.” Donald Trump, GOP presidential candidate, on Gov. Scott Walker
“For a lot of us, it’s like watching a car accident instead of focusing on the direction we should be headed.” Gov. Scott Walker, on Trump’s campaign