GOP frontrunner Donald Trump called rival GOP presidential candidate Ohio Gov. John Kasich an “absentee governor” during his Wednesday-night campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“We have Ohio where you have an absentee governor,” the real estate mogul said to the large crowd of supporters, referring to Ohio’s GOP primary on Tuesday. “I think we’re going to do great in Ohio.”
“I think we’re going to have a fantastic week,” he predicted after touting his wins in Hawaii, Michigan, and Mississippi on Tuesday night.
“We’re winning in Florida … by like a lot,” Trump added. “We’re doing really well here.”
“I employ a lot of people in North Carolina,” Trump bragged, adding that he’s probably the only presidential candidate who can say that.
Florida, Ohio, and North Carolina hold their GOP primary elections on Tuesday, March 15th, along with Illinois.
Trump then told the crowd, “I’m your messenger,” saying he is representing the people and will stop foreign countries from taking advantage of America.
“We have nobody to protect us,” Trump challenged, vowing to change that. “We’re going to protect our jobs and we’re going to protect our factories and we’re going to protect our people.”
Trump also commented on previously having his supporters at a rally pledge to vote for him and how that made media headlines over the past weekend. “We all had a good time,” Trump recalled about his supporters taking the pledge.
“The next day, on the Today Show, they said it reminded us of Hitler. It was Nazi … these people, they’re the most dishonest people in the world,” Trump said, while pointing to the press.
The billionaire said he wouldn’t ask the audience to take the pledge tonight, but then the crowd raised their hands, began chanting ‘Trump,’ and took the pledge to vote for him on Tuesday.