Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said the pact made between his GOP rivals is “weak and pathetic,” adding that both candidates would get “clobbered by” Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in a general election.
Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) vowed to halt their efforts to win certain states in the future as a way to deny Trump the nomination. Trump labeled their agreement “collusion,” which he argued would not be legal in the private sector.
“How weak is that? How pathetic is that when they use collusion? How weak does this make them look? I said to my people, ‘that’s great. It’s going to be make them look weak and pathetic,’ which they are as politicians,” Trump said during a rally in West Chester, Pa., attended by thousands of supporters.
“So they made a deal, but like every politician they don’t know how to make deals and Cruz is all thinking that Kasich doesn’t want any votes from Indiana – in Indiana, the people are too smart to listen to this stuff. I think it’s going to have a huge reverse effect,” he added.
Trump said Kasich already “broke the deal” by indicating he still wants people to vote for him in Indiana.
He pointed out that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) dropped out of the race when he was ahead of Kasich and called the Ohio governor “stubborn” and “spoiled” for remaining in the race.
“Rubio could have stayed,” he said. “He’s like a spoiled guy, Kasich. ‘I’m not getting out, Mom. I’m not getting out. I’ll never.’ Kasich loses all five states. ‘I’m not getting out. I’m going for it.’ This is just ridiculous,” Trump said. “Kasich and Cruz have absolutely no path to victory. The only thing they can do is for some reason hope it goes to a second ballot, which it won’t because we are going to get it on the first ballot.”
Trump said Kasich’s eating habits are not presidential.
“This is just a guy who’s a stubborn guy who eats like a slob and shouldn’t have press conferences while he’s stuffing stuff down his throat,” he said.
Trump claimed the Cruz campaign is paying for “yacht rides, steaks and hotels” to woo delegates to their side.
“They’re buying an election. It’s a crooked system. It’s a rigged system. It stinks,” he said.
Trump also said it would be hard for Republican Party leaders to justify a different GOP nominee after he won more states than his rivals.
“You’re going to allow a guy who got absolutely disseminated by Trump, millions of votes and many, many states?” he said of the RNC.
Trump predicted that he would defeat Clinton in the general election.
“I don’t care about the second, third, fourth, fifth ballot. We’re going to win on the first ballot,” Trump told the crowd.
“I’m going to win the general election. Kasich can’t win. He’ll get clobbered in the general election. Cruz will get clobbered. Cruz will be the worst defeat in the history of our country. I will win in the general election,” he added.
Some West Chester University students had called for university administrators to cancel Trump’s appearance. The school’s interim president, Christopher Fiorentino, said the Trump campaign was permitted to hold the rally at the campus after paying to use the university’s facility.
“While many disagree with Mr. Trump’s positions, it is important to remember that our university is committed to the free exchange of ideas,” he said.
“We encourage those who plan to protest to do so in accordance with the principals of civility that are a fundamental value of West Chester University,” he added.
During the rally, Trump vowed to help college students with their debt from school loans, telling the crowd it is an issue he hears about most from voters.
“Nice college, by the way. This is a beautiful college,” he added.
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