‘I could … shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters’

‘I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay?

At his Sioux Center event, Trump called Beck a “loser” and “sad sack”. Here’s the thing. He sees Donald Trump and Ted Cruz on the Republican side. “I don’t trust any of the weasels no matter how good they are”, Beck said.

In addition to criticizing his rivals, Trump went after conservative radio host Glenn Beck, who will be appearing at two rallies with Cruz.

“Iowa, I beg you”, Beck said as the state’s caucus approaches.

NPR’s Don Gonyea reports that so far, the reaction to Trump’s remarks has followed a familiar pattern. “Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday’s debate, for which we thank him”, said a Fox News spokesperson.

“You want somebody with guts?”

He derided Trump as “a guy who has a bunch of strip clubs in casinos”, someone who projects nothing more than “showman faith” (he alluded to Trump’s unconventional pronunciation of 2 Corinthians).

Beck said Cruz will fight for religious liberty, citizens’ Second Amendment rights and nominating Supreme Court justices who won’t tilt the balance toward liberalism. So Donald Trump is spending a lot time in Iowa, which means you are too – four days this week, I understand.

“I am completely humbled and honored to be here with Glenn”, Cruz told reporters after the rally.

He claimed one Republican candidate “for over 60 years of his life” supported so-called partial-birth abortion and a “Bernie Sanders-style socialised medicine for all”. Cruz asked the crowd, and got a reply of, “No” in unison.

Beck campaigned for Ted Cruz and held little back in going after Trump.

“His show’s failing. He’s failing”. About 26 percent of New Hampshirites would not vote for Trump over a Democrat – nearly twice as many -14 percent – as said the same about Cruz.

Trump also joked Cruz should run for prime minister of Canada instead of president of the United States. Ted Cruz has recently caught up in the polls in Iowa, where they’re now neck-and-neck in a battle for first place. “He’s gone down big in the polls”, Trump said. During a speech in Ames, Iowa, Palin praised Trump’s “Reaganesque power that comes from strength”.

Grassley did not endorse Trump but repeated Trump’s signature phrase, saying that Republicans have a chance to “make America great again”.

Forty percent of GOP primary voters say they would enthusiastically throw their support behind Trump – up 11 points from December.