Trump, a businessman and celebrity who is known as a maverick, made no effort to woo mainstream GOP elected officials. He remarked, “I am very conservative and I am a Republican, and I am disappointed with our Republican politicians because they let our president get away with absolute murder.”

He told the crowd that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney “choked” in the 2012 campaign and shouldn’t be nominated to run for president again. He described former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as an unsuitable candidate who is “very, very weak” on immigration and supports Common Core educational standards.