Trump ends 2015 by bashing rivals
Donald Trump ended his political year Wednesday by taking standard shots at opponents ranging from Hillary Clinton to Jeb Bush and pledging to spend millions in pursuit of the presidency in 2016.
“We’re going to start spending a lot of money,” the Republican front-runner told thousands of people in Hilton Head, S.C. “I’m looking to win everything — we want to run the table.”
Trump, whose rise in GOP polls dominated political news in 2015, salted his speech with repeated references to the “corrupt” and “stupid” political establishment and the “dishonest” media that cover him.
The New York businessman highlighted some of his favorite proposals, including his plan to build a wall along the southern border of the USA to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico, to achieve better trade deals with China and other global economic rivals and to rebuild the military in the face of the terrorist threat.
Trump again served notice that he is prepared to make a political issue of former president Bill Clinton’s extramarital activities. Noting that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton accused him of sexism, Trump said it is only fair to discuss “her husband’s situation.”
As for Bush, who began the Republican race as a front-runner, Trump noted that the wellfunded son and brother of former presidents has fallen to low single digits in some GOP polls: “He’s down in the grave. ... He’s nowhere.” He suggested that Bush leave the race, saying, “He should just go home and relax.”
In his last scheduled political speech of the year, Trump worked out on another frequent punching bag: President Obama. Trump mocked Obama’s emphasis on climate change by questioning whether aerosol hair spray damages the ozone layer, referencing his own famous head of hair.
Like other Republican critics, Bush has said Trump lacks the experience or the temperament to be president.
In a video released Wednesday, the Bush campaign mocked Trump for welcoming the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, being unfamiliar with the elements of the nuclear triad and saying he receives military advice by watching “the shows” on television.
The video was titled “Happy New Year, Chaos Candidate!”
As 2016 dawns Friday, other GOP candidates will look to spend the next month seeking to overtake Trump.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who appeals to evangelicals and Tea Party backers, leads Trump in some polls in Iowa, which will open the nomination process in caucuses Feb. 1.