Trump Wants Debate to Focus on Policy, Doesn’t like ‘Getting into the Gutter’

Donald Trump admitted to holding back on attacking Hillary Clinton during the first presidential debate while speaking to voters at a campaign event in New Hampshire Thursday night.

“I did hold back. I thought it was just inappropriate to say what I was really thinking I would say,” Trump told the audience during a town hall on Thursday night in Sandown, New Hampshire. “I’d much rather have it be on policy and I don’t like getting into the gutter.”

Radio host Howie Carr hosted the town hall.

Trump denied reports that he was disappointed that his running mate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence did so well in the vice presidential debate against Clinton’s running mate Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and that his town hall in New Hampshire was part of his debate prep.

“I was so happy that Mike did well,” Trump stated, dismissing media reports that he was disappointed. “They make you into, like, a child.”

“They were saying this is practice for Sunday,” he stated about the town hall. “This isn’t practice. This has nothing to do with Sunday. We are here because we just wanted to be here.”

“Hillary, frankly, they talk about debate prep — that’s not debate prep. She’s resting,” Trump jabbed at his opponent who is taking time off the campaign trail ahead of Sunday night’s second presidential debate in St. Louis. “And I want to be with the American people…and she wants to rest.”

The Republican nominee spent the first several minutes of his town hall talking about recent polls, which show him either leading or tied with Clinton.

Tossing the list of polls to the side, he said, “Send them back to the press, so they can examine them.”

“I wanted to be here because we have lots of energy and we love the people…because it was my first state, it meant so much for me,” Trump said about New Hampshire, his first state primary win last February. “We’re going to create a more honest government.”

Trump took a few minutes to address Hurricane Matthew, which hit along Florida’s coast on Thursday evening and is traveling along the east coast of the United States.

Trump described the hurricane as “One of the strongest storms to hit in many decades.”

“Southeast Florida is taking the brunt of the storm,” he added. “To all of my friends in Florida, please know we are praying for you and everyone in the path — you’ve got to take care of yourself.”

“It could be a really, really bad one…it’s going to be a rough couple of days,” Trump said, referencing the destruction in Haiti. “We’re going to be helping you.”