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Trump Admits He's "Whining" — And It's Working
Yes, Donald Trump is still in the 2016 presidential race, and no, he's not planning to drop out any time soon. But why should he? The business mogul and GOP pot-stirrer is still leading in the polls, despite last week's vulgar remarks about Fox News host Megyn Kelly. And on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump described how he'll win the 2016 election: He will whine his way into the White House. So far, it seems to be working.
Trump laid out his grand political tactic while speaking with CNN's Chris Cuomo on New Day. "I do whine, because I want to win, and I'm not happy about not winning," Trump said. "I am a whiner, and I keep whining and whining until I win."
Although there have been whispers within the GOP to push Trump out of the race, forcing him to go third party, the hotel billionaire told Cuomo that he currently has no intention of running as an Independent. "I'm leading all over the place. I want to run as a Republican," Trump said. "I want to be the Republican candidate."
However, he's not ruling out a possible third-party bid in the future. It all depends on these next few months. "If I am treated fairly, that's the way it's going to be, but I want to keep that [third-party] door open," Trump added. "I have to keep that door open because if something happens where I'm not treated fairly, I may very well use that door."
But are Trump's policies truly aligned with the present-day Republican Party? As a newly-crowned politician, Trump has to have a platform that's more than just disgruntled hot air. The GOP frontrunner tried to elaborate on a number of hot-button political issues in his interview, from the Iran deal to abortion.
Speaking on abortion, Trump, who now identifies as "pro-life," admitted that Planned Parenthood does "some things that are good for women," adding that he wouldn't defund the family-planning organization because of the services they provide outside of abortions. It's a noteworthy departure from his fellow Republican candidates, who are all calling to defund Planned Parenthood following a recent string of sting videos targeting the organization's fetal tissue donation program.
Yet on other issues, Trump was more vague. His plan for the tax code was essentially, "the tax code is too complicated" and "I want to put H&R out of business." Trump would not say how he would simplify the tax code.
Trump also called the Iran deal a disaster and one of the "dumbest" deals in American history. Again, he did not expand on his own foreign policy plans. And on equal pay for women, Trump said he was "looking into it very strongly" and would have a plan in the "near distant future."
Who is Donald Trump outside his celebrity empire and dusty blond comb over? It looks like American voters still don't know — or care. While many polished politicians, including Trump's GOP challengers, would scoff at his "whining" strategy, Trump has apparently struck a chord with conservative voters across America. As GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina explained during last week's GOP forum, Trump has "tapped into an anger that people feel" about politics. "They're sick of politics," Fiorina said on the forum stage.
It seems like Trump is, too. For him, and the rest of America, winning is all that counts. We can figure the "politics" stuff out later.