Donald Trump, Martin O'Malley stake out spots on New Hampshire ballot
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Martin O'Malley on Wednesday became the first two major candidates to file for a spot on the ballot for New Hampshire's presidential primary.
"What I'm doing now is just special," Trump said Wednesday, after becoming the first Republican to officially file as a presidential candidate. In a rare but fleeting moment of serenity, surrounded by New Hampshire reporters at a roundtable in New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner's State House office, Trump said that everything that he has accomplished in his life so far is "all peanuts" in comparison to running for president.
"It's in a different league, and I hope I can pull it off because I have so many friends that want this to happen," Trump mused, dropping his usual bravado for a moment of reflection. "And they know that together we're going to make this country so much better than it is right now."
Fielding question after question from reporters before, after and during the filing, Trump returned to form, making his usual digs at "low energy" rivals former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
He also continued his fresh assault on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, now seen as the top choice of the Republican establishment, both in polls and in the press.
"Marco Rubio is a disaster on his finances on his credit cards," Trump said outside the state house, challenging reporters to investigate Rubio's spotty personal financial history. "He was a basic disaster with finances. Let's see what you find, let's see what kind of reporter you are."
Trump was alluding to stories that surfaced in Florida during Rubio's 2010 Senate bid about his use of a state Republican Party credit card. Rubio also has liquidated a retirement t account and recently sold off a second home at a loss.
"I'm winning in Florida against Bush and Rubio," he said. "I'm winning everywhere."
He reserved sharp words for Bush but even more so Carson. While Trump has grabbed headlines for calling Bush "low energy," he said Bush is actually a "dynamo" compared to Carson, who is known for his soft-spoken demeanor.
"Jeb is a low energy person," Trump said. "Ben Carson is super low energy. There was an article today that he falls asleep every time he gets into a car to drive."
The businessman has seen his commanding lead in the Republican polls slip as Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, has closed the gap and even overtaken him in some polls. A Wednesday poll from WBUR/MassINC showed Trump polling at 18 percent in New Hampshire, just three points ahead of Carson.
He announced this week that he would begin airing ads in key early states, likely Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.
"I'll be spending a lot. I'll be spending a lot and I'm going to be very positive with my ads. I'm not gonna be hitting anybody. I will say this however, if they hit me, they will get smacked like they've never gotten smacked before," he told reporters Wednesday.
In person, however, he has no shortage of insults, even for Democrats. Asked about Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose position on the New Hampshire ballot is still in question since the longtime independent only decided to run as a Democrat this year, Trump called him irrelevant.
"I don't care," he said. "I mean, he'll do whatever he wants. He is not going to win anyway, okay? Nobody is going to elect Bernie Sanders."
Unlike Trump, who sits atop his party's polls, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is well behind his two rivals for the Democratic nomination. Still, he insisted Wednesday that his campaign "just turned a corner in this race," according to the Associated Press.
"Most voters here in New Hampshire and in Iowa are only now into that decision window. Everything prior to this was pre-season. ... And it's out of our party that new leaders emerge. That's what I think is going to happen here," he said.
He also criticized Trump, saying he found the businessman's comments about immigrants "extremely distasteful and repugnant."
The filing period for the first-in-the-nation primary opened Nov. 4 and candidates have until Nov. 20 to get on the ballot. They must fill out a form affirming they meet the constitutional requirements to become president, are a registered member of the party where they are competing for the nomination, and pay a $1,000 fee. The primary date is not officially set, but it's expected to take place on Feb. 9.
Trump was mobbed when he left the state house, answering questions from reporters and posing for selfies along the way. He said he was looking forward to this weekend's appearance on Saturday Night Live, casually mentioning that he had dinner in New York on Tuesday night with the show's creator Lorne Michaels.
Trump told reporters that NBC initially wanted Trump for just a skit but they went back to him saying "'No, can we get him for the whole thing?"
The billionaire dismissed the idea of NBC "caving" to anti-Trump protests and uninviting him to host.
"Why would they cave?," he told reporters. "A lot of them are saying it's going to be one of the highest rated shows in their history. It's gonna be a tremendous thing."
He passed through a pack of elementary schoolers on a field trip on his way out of the statehouse and back to his escalade, posing for pictures with them and asking them all: "So who is the best student?" In unison, the screamed back at him: "Meeee!"
"Goodbye kids," Trump said. "I love you." One little girl screamed out to no one in particular: "I'm never going to wash my hands again!"