Donald Trump said his decision to skip the Fox News GOP presidential debate “turned out great” and called chief rival Ted Cruz “an anchor baby in Canada” during a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Friday.
“I did something that was very risky and I think it turned out great because I’m on the front page of every paper. I’m getting more publicity than if I [was in the debate],” Trump said the morning after missing the final Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses.
Instead of debating, Trump held his own counter-programming just a few minutes away from the event site. He said he raised $6 million for veterans’ organizations.
Another reason why the GOP front runner called his decision a success was because the attention shifted to chief rival Ted Cruz. “Rough Night for Cruz,” blared the front page headline in Friday’s Des Moines Register.
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“Cruz, who is in second place, he got really pummeled last night,” Trump said. He then went into his favorite attack on Cruz — reminding voters that the Texas senator was born in Canada. “They didn’t even mention that he was born in Canada, right?” Trump said. “You know, when you’re born in Canada you’re not supposed to be running for president of the United States. Prime minister of Canada, no problem.” Trump joked that Cruz, who was born to an American mother in Calgary, Canada, is “an anchor baby in Canada.” This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.Recommended
Andrew Rafferty