Gloves are off as Bush lays into Trump: ‘loser, whiner and liar’
Simmering feud between Republican candidates boils over into personal insults on both sides
JEB BUSH attempted to dismiss Donald Trump as a “loser, liar and a whiner” yesterday, as the race for the Republican nomination descended into acrimony.
Mr Bush who lags behind the billionaire in polls said he would not allow “someone to try to hijack a party that I believe will allow people to rise up again”.
Mr Trump responded: “Jeb is sad and desperate, he’s a pathetic person. He’s gone absolutely crazy. This guy is a nervous wreck, I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Jeb is having some kind of a breakdown. He’s an embarrassment to his family. Frankly, he’s a stiff. He’s not a guy who can be president. He doesn’t have what it takes to be president.”
Mr Trump, speaking at a rally in New Hampshire, added: “He goes around saying, ‘I’m the only one with the courage to go after Trump.’ What courage is it? He says nasty things and I put him down and he goes away like a little sheep. He’s like a spoiled child. He’s spent $110 million on a campaign and he’s nowhere.”
The feud has been simmering for months but erupted the day before voters in New Hampshire make their views known in the state’s primaries.
Mr Trump came second in Iowa when it became the first state to hold caucuses last week and has admitted he needs to win in New Hampshire to remain a significant player in the presidential race.
“I know about expectations. I know about lowering expectations,” Mr Trump said. “If I came second I wouldn’t be happy, OK? I want to win.”
Mr Trump has been the longtime front-runner in New Hampshire, and had a 21-point lead the day before the election. Opponents have predicted that a loss, or even a narrow victory, could fatally stall his momentum.
His campaign has worked hard to make him seem more understanding of voters’ needs. He has stopped at diners to shake hands with patrons, trying to send a message that despite his massive wealth and brash manner, he empathises with working people.
However, he has not spent a single night in the state during the campaign, flying home to New York on his private jet in the evenings. He has made 39 campaign stops compared with 176 by Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor. With Mr Bush, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and two Republican governors are locked in a five-way race for second place.
Research released by the Monmouth University Polling Institute found only 49 per cent of Republican voters had decided who to vote for before polling day. Mr Rubio did better than expected in Iowa, coming a strong third but a disastrous performance at the most recent televised Republican debate may have weakened him.
The Monmouth University research showed John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, rising. Mr Kasich, who has barely registered nationally, has played to concerns about the economy with a
‘A lot of people make up their minds late. I’m not sure the polls are accurate. The race is really up for grabs’
promise to erase the US budget deficit without shredding the safety net for poor Americans.
Mr Trump’s defeat in Iowa was partly attributed to not having enough volunteers to get supporters to the polls. He risks the same thing in New Hampshire where he has only 14 paid staff, far fewer than other candidates. Trent Spiner, executive editor of the
New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper, said: “A lot of people make up their minds late. I’m not sure the polls are accurate. The race is really up for grabs.”
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York mayor, has said for the first time that he is considering an independent run for US president, following reports that he has asked pollsters to examine his chances.
“I find the level of discourse and discussion distressingly banal and an outrage and an insult to the voters,” he told